Marco Bezzecchi breaks Misano MotoGP lap record to take pole, Alex Marquez crashes

Home hero Marco Bezzecchi shattered Misano lap record to claim pole position for the 2026 San Marino MotoGP ahead of Marc Márquez and a surging Fermín Aldeguer.

In a session defined by breathtaking pace, dramatic crashes and a fierce battle between Aprilia and Ducati, Bezzecchi became the first rider ever to break the 1:30 barrier at the Misano circuit with a stunning lap of 1:29.982, marking his fourth pole of the season and second in a row.

Q1 featured a high-stakes shootout among several big names who had failed to secure direct passage to Q2 based on their combined practice times, including Francesco Bagnaia, Fabio Quartararo, Raúl Fernández, Joan Mir and Fermín Aldeguer.

Bagnaia initially set the pace with a 1:31.161 before improving to 1:30.916, but it was Fernández who seized control with a commanding 1:30.535 aboard his Trackhouse Aprilia.

Quartararo temporarily held the second transfer position with a 1:30.799, but Aldeguer laid a crucial late flyer on his Gresini Ducati, clocking 1:30.680 to bump the Frenchman out of Q2.

Quartararo was ultimately left to start 13th, while Bagnaia was eliminated in 14th place marking his worst qualifying performance at his home race. Honda’s Diogo Moreira and Joan Mir took 15th and 17th respectively, separated by Enea Bastianini, with Jack Miller, Brad Binder, Alex Rins and Toprak Razgatlioglu finishing at the bottom of the timesheets.

As the field transitioned to Q2, the tension was palpable with five Ducatis, three Aprilias, two KTMs and two Hondas ready to do battle for the coveted front-row spots.

Álex Márquez laid down an early marker of 1:30.733 on his Gresini Ducati, but his momentum was abruptly halted when he crashed at Turn 8 while trail braking – a mistake that would foreshadow a difficult afternoon for the Spanish rider.

Minutes later, Fabio Di Giannantonio snatched the top spot with a 1:30.504 aboard his VR46 Ducati, briefly silencing the crowd before the ultimate Aprilia run where Marco Bezzecchi breaks Misano MotoGP lap record.

Bezzecchi’s lap gave him a massive 0.467-second advantage over Di Giannantonio after the first runs, with Marc Márquez a further half a tenth behind in third.

After the field returned to the pits for fresh tires, the Ducati contingent mounted a spirited final attack with Márquez improving to 1:30.180 on his last run to close within 0.198s of Bezzecchi, but the Italian’s benchmark remained untouchable.

Aldeguer beat Di Giannantonio to third by just 0.036s, capping a remarkable turnaround for the young Spaniard, while championship leader Jorge Martín qualified a solid fifth after struggling in practice.

Luca Marini impressed aboard the factory Honda to edge out Pedro Acosta for sixth, followed by Franco Morbidelli in eighth for VR46. Álex Márquez crashed a second time at Turn 4 in the closing stages, leaving him a distant ninth on the grid.

Raúl Fernández struggled to match the pace of his factory Aprilia counterparts and ended up 10th, while Johann Zarco and Pol Espargaro completed the top 12, though Zarco remains under investigation for allegedly impeding Bezzecchi.

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Full 2026 San Marino MotoGP Qualifying Results, Misano