Johann Zarco will leap forward from 10th on the grid after producing a tireless effort in the blazing heat today in the Czech Republic. The rapid French rider completed FP3 in 8th, which secured his participation in QP2 and here, he pushed non-stop before qualifying on the fourth row for tomorrow’s sprint. With his eyes still firmly set on challenging for a top tier finish, he aims to undertake a typically strong start and then join the battle in the leading group.

Meanwhile, Jonas Folger will commence the race from 14th. The German star prepared for the qualifying shootout by notably finishing FP4 in 2nd. However, in Q1, he unfortunately did not see the chequered flag and began his fastest lap, which would have allowed him to progress through to Q2, after the session had ended. Nevertheless, he will begin from the fifth row and aims to undertake a rocket start and then dice for the leading satellite honours.
 
     
Johann Zarco - Position: 10th - Time: 1'56.075 - Laps: 7

“Overall the qualifying was a bit tricky but I am ready for anything tomorrow. I was pleased with my lap time in FP3 and happy to be in the top ten which put me through to Q2. Then this afternoon, I felt positive on the bike, and the control was good, but I was missing some drive on the exit of the corner. I was able to follow some riders and the corner entry and speed was positive, yet, there was a bit too much spinning at the exit. Maybe it was too hot, but I wanted to be on the first two rows. However, 10th is not a disaster because the work that we did in FP4 was solid. Here, I was the only rider who stayed on the used tyres, and I could understand a lot of things and create a good feeling in case of a dry race tomorrow. It doesn’t matter what happens with the weather as I will be ready if it rains, because we had a test in the wet on Friday morning. If it is damp, then I know that I will have to get on the pace quickly to be fast in the race. Yet, if it’s dry, I think that, when compared to the guys in front, I can be more consistent after ten laps, even though I was not able to be really fast on a single lap this afternoon. We will have to fight anyway, but I am confident.”
  

Jonas Folger - Position: 14th - Time: 1'56.540 - Laps: 6

"I am disappointed with today’s result because I was very close to getting into Qualifying 2. At the end of Q1, the last lap that I set was my fastest, but time ran out two seconds before I completed it and I thought I had another lap available because I didn’t see the chequered flag. I went even quicker, yet unfortunately, the session had already finished. This is a shame because our target was to have a strong qualifying today and we couldn’t achieve this, plus we can do much better. Now we have to wait until tomorrow, but we understand that we are quite strong, yet, I don’t feel completely comfortable on the bike, so we need to do a bit of work to find some solutions for the setting. I hope we can make a step, and I will give it everything that I have got.”