Francesco Bagnaia storms to Czech MotoGP pole as Marc Marquez crashes

Francesco Bagnaia clawed his way from Q1 to secure Czech MotoGP pole ahead of Marc Marquez who sealed an all-Ducati front-row amid dramatic late crash.

Pecco’s commanding performance marked a significant turning point for his campaign as he marked his first pole of the season.

The build-up to the pivotal qualifying session was fraught with uncertainty after heavy rains on Friday rendered early practices less informative, leaving engineers and riders with limited dry running and a huge challenge in calibrating their bikes for the new, grippier surface at Brno.

However, Saturday dawned bright and dry allowing teams to fully push the upgraded bikes and test the limits on the resurfaced Czech circuit—a factor which would come to influence both the pace and drama of qualifying.

Francesco Bagnaia had started his Czech MotoGP weekend on the backfoot after struggling during practice and failed to secure a direct spot in Q2.

Forced to navigate the perilous waters of Q1, Bagnaia fought back from a lowly eighteenth in the final practice—but undeterred and demonstrating characteristic resilience, he posted a blistering lap that saw him clear Q1 as the top gun.

Q2 was always destined for drama given the quality of riders and the high stakes, but few could have predicted the sheer intensity.

As the session commenced, Bagnaia, now emboldened was without a lap time in his initial short run. The Italian re-emerged on track for a crucial second stint and immediately blasted to the top with a 1:52.303, which would remain unchallenged for the remainder of the session.

Meanwhile, Bagnaia’s teammate Marc Marquez was expected to be the biggest threat for Czech MotoGP pole and looked set to deliver on that promise having topped Friday’s mixed conditions and remaining unbeaten since the British GP.

After the first Q2 runs, the six-time premier class champion was just under a tenth of a second clear of Fabio Quartararo who was also in imperious form aboard his Monster Energy Yamaha M1.

As the final minutes ticked away, Marquez launched a ferocious assault on the lap times carving out red sectors and running almost three-tenths up on the clock with one final effort.

However, disaster struck as he pushed the limits: Marquez lost the front in the final sector and slid into the gravel, his pole hopes dashed in dramatic fashion. Unscathed but surely frustrated, he was still able to claim a front-row starting spot after qualifying second, 0.219s down on Bagnaia.

Full Czech MotoGP Qualifying Results

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The closing laps of Q2 were further complicated when Johann Zarco crashed at Turn 13, the same corner that would later catch Marquez. Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi also went off at Turn 1, further disrupting the session and curtailing late-charge plans for several key contenders.

The resulting yellow flags meant that only a single clear lap remained for the remaining riders to make an impact.

Amid the chaos, Fabio Quartararo produced a strong lap that placed him third on the grid—less than a tenth shy of Marquez and under a third of a second from Bagnaia’s benchmark.

Marco Bezzecchi headed the second row despite his late-session crash followed by Joan Mir who showed a return to form by securing fifth for Honda while Raul Fernandez capped off the top six for Trackhouse Apriliat.

Pedro Acosta marked the first KTM in seventh followed by Alex Marquez who despite playing second fiddle to his older brother throughout the session, managed a solid eighth for BK8 Gresini.

Johann Zarco, despite his aforementioned crash, retained ninth for Castrol Honda LCR while Jack Miller clawed his way into the top ten after a fall earlier on in the session.