A rain interrupted Moto2 qualifying session on Saturday saw early fast lappers topping the overall times, with Scott Redding (Marc VDS Racing) leading the field. Rain came in starts and stops, until a dry window opened in the final minutes of the qualifying, sending the riders out into a frantic closing which saw de Angelis take the top spot in a repeat of his performance last year at Phillip Island.

De Angelis, who won the Moto2 race last year, set a best time of 1’34.574, 0.088s ahead of Tech 3 Racing’s Mike di Meglio, who previously saw ninth as his highest ranking of the weekend. Takahashi (Gresini Racing) followed the Frenchman by 0.027s to take the last spot on the front row.

Redding eventually dropped to fourth position after setting a best lap of 1’34.699, while Kenan Sofuoglu (Technomag-CIP), who briefly topped the times in the final flurry, was relegated to fifth with his time of 1’34.729. Pol Espargaró (HP Tuenti Speed Up) and Bradley Smith (Tech 3 Racing) followed the Turkish rider in sixth and seventh.

Stefan Bradl (Viessmann Kiefer Racing) ended the session in eighth, ahead of Thomas Lüthi (Interwetten Paddock Moto2) and Mattia Pasini (Ioda Racing Project) to complete the top ten on the grid. Márquez (Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol) had a one minute penalty added to his time of 1’35.298 following the Moto2 Championship leader’s collision with Ratthapark Wilairot (Thai Honda Singha-SAG) at the end of the Friday’s first free practice session.