MotoGP: Red Bull KTM Factory Racing head the grid, with Morbidelli and Alex Marquez joining Acosta on the front row
Barcelona has delivered again with a mixed-up order making for a mouthwatering prospect ahead of MotoGP’s Tissot Sprint and Sunday’s Grand Prix. Having dominated Friday, Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) put in a stellar showing to bag his first pole since the Japanese GP in 2024, and he’s joined by Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) and Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) on the front row. Championship leader Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) crashed at Turn 2, leaving him 12th on the grid.
Q1
Red sectors were lighting up the timing screen instantly in Q1 as a power-packed line-up hit the track. After the opening run, it was Enea Bastianini (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) and Morbidelli who were provisionally moving on through, with pre-session favourites Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing) and Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) in P3, P8 and P11 respectively. Martin took P1 overall in his second run with two minutes to go but a lap later, binned it at Turn 5. It’d still be good enough to see him through but a late charge from Morbidelli saw the Italian take P1 on his final lap, the #21 leading the 2024 World Champion into Q2. For Pecco, he missed out, rooted to P3 and 13th on the grid overall.
Q2
Crunch time on Saturday morning, a blockbuster Q2 in prospect. KTM’s strength across the weekend meant two of them were going for pole and after the opening runs, it was Acosta who had set the early benchmark with a 1’38.118 ahead of Alex Marquez and a mighty lap from Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse MotoGP Team). A slow first flyer for Jorge Martin saw him down in 12th as his first stint ended.
With the second runs now underway, it was a disaster for Bezzecchi who crashed at Turn 2 and that left him P9 at best – not ideal for the Championship leader. Behind him on-track, Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) stormed up the order to fifth. At the pointy end, Acosta bettered his lap time to maintain P1 whilst a stonking lap from Morbidelli put the #21 provisionally in P2.
The chequered flag waved and it was a first pole since Motegi in 2024 for Acosta, the Shark with bite this weekend as he gave the Red Bull KTM Factory Team a first pole since Pol Espargaro at the 2020 European GP. Morbidelli impressed team boss Valentino Rossi, in attendance from the service road, as he took a first front row since Sepang last year, whilst Alex Marquez completes the front row in third. Raul Fernandez took his best qualifying since Buriram with fourth on the grid, ahead of a fantastic Johann Zarco (Castrol Honda LCR) who takes a fourth top ten in five GPs. Top Ducati in the standings Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) will start sixth.
A valiant effort from Quartararo sees him take seventh whilst Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) took a first top ten on the grid since the Sachsenring in 2025. Martin could only manage P9 in the end but did outqualify teammate Bezzecchi for the first time since they became teammates last year. Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol) completes the top ten, ahead of Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP) and Bezzecchi, the Italian with his worst qualifying showing since Sepang last season when he was P14, his Q2 blighted by that crash.
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