Marco Bezzecchi takes pole position; Marc Marquez settles for second place

Marco Bezzecchi takes pole position for the Qatar Grand Prix, the 20th round of the 2026 MotoGP World Championship. At the Lusail Circuit, the Aprilia rider delivered an extraordinary performance, clocking a time of 1’50″028 and setting the new session record. Behind him is Marc Marquez, second on the factory Ducati, 266 thousandths of a second behind.

This is an important front-row start for the World Championship leader, who can now move even closer to clinching the title. Rounding out the top three is Fabio Di Giannantonio, who had an excellent qualifying session on the VR46 team’s Ducati. The Italian finished 299 thousandths behind Bezzecchi, just 33 thousandths behind the Spanish champion.

Behind the top three is Raúl Fernández, fourth on the Aprilia Trackhouse. Francesco Bagnaia secured the fifth-fastest time, confirming the signs of a comeback shown in previous sessions, while Ai Ogura rounded out the second row with the sixth-fastest time. Jorge Martín’s qualifying session was more challenging. The factory Aprilia rider, second in the world championship standings and Marquez’s main rival in the title race, could not go beyond 11th place. This is a significant setback, especially considering he trails the World Championship leader by 44 points.

Johann Zarco set the seventh-fastest time, while Pedro Acosta, after being forced to go through Q1, managed to secure eighth place. Fermín Aldeguer was ninth and Enea Bastianini tenth. Sunday’s race could be decisive in determining the world championship title. Marc Marquez arrives in Lusail with 399 points, 44 more than Martin and 67 ahead of Bezzecchi. The Spaniard therefore has the chance to clinch the championship as early as the end of the Qatar Grand Prix, provided he gains the necessary points over his pursuers.