Marc Marquez narrowly held off Johann Zarco to claim his first pole position of the 2026 season in wet Spanish MotoGP qualifying that caught out several riders.
The Ducati Lenovo rider, returning to his home circuit with renewed physical confidence after a difficult early season, used every inch of Jerez circuit layout to post a 1:48.087 lap, beating the LCR Honda veteran by just 0.140 seconds.
Marquez delivered his flyer on old rubber underlining his enduring feel for the Spanish track where he has long been a crowd favourite and a serial polesitter in past seasons.
Fabio Di Giannantonio qualified closely behind in third after using championship leader Marco Bezzecchi as a slip‑stream reference and a benchmark. Bezzecchi ultimately emerged as the leading Aprilia in fourth.
Alex Marquez recovered to fifth after his first flying lap in Q2 was curtailed by a high‑side crash at Turn 9, while Pedro Acosta led the KTM charge in sixth.
Jorge Martin also suffered a late crash at Turn 1 with his best only good enough for seventh, compounding his three-place grid penalty for Sunday’s race after impeding Alex Marquez in practice.
KTM Tech3’s Enea Bastianini quietly put together a strong qualifying performance on the to secure eighth with Raul Fernandez and Francesco Bagnaia wrapping up the top ten.
Ai Ogura took 11th ahead of Fermin Aldeguer who suffered a crash early in Q2, as Franco Morbidelli finished the session with smoke coming from his GP25. Diogo Moreira, Franco Morbidelli and Jack Miller also fell victim to treacherous condition at Jerez, failing to set times in Q1.
Full 2026 Spanish MotoGP Qualifying Results – Jerez
| Pos | Rider | Team | Time/Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marc Marquez | Ducati Lenovo | 1:48.087s |
| 2 | Johann Zarco | Honda LCR | +0.140s |
| 3 | Fabio Di Giannantonio | VR46 Ducati | +1.010s |
| 4 | Marco Bezzecchi | Aprilia Racing | +1.028s |
| 5 | Alex Marquez | Gresini Ducati | +1.059s |
| 6 | Pedro Acosta | Red Bull KTM | +1.143s |
| 7 | Jorge Martin | Aprilia Racing | +1.422s |
| 8 | Enea Bastianini | Red Bull KTM Tech3 | +2.377s |
| 9 | Raul Fernandez | Trackhouse Aprilia | +2.437s |
| 10 | Francesco Bagnaia | Ducati Lenovo | +2.940s |
| 11 | Ai Ogura | Trackhouse Aprilia | +3.023s |
| 12 | Fermin Aldeguer | Gresini Ducati | +3.357s |
| 13 | Brad Binder | Red Bull KTM | 1:49.278s |
| 14 | Joan Mir | Honda HRC | 1:49.522s |
| 15 | Luca Marini | Honda HRC | 1:49.803s |
| 16 | Augusto Fernandez | Yamaha Factory | 1:49.977s |
| 17 | Fabio Quartararo | Monster Yamaha | 1:50.139s |
| 18 | Franco Morbidelli | VR46 Ducati | 1:50.219s |
| 19 | Toprak Razgatlioglu | Pramac Yamaha | 1:50.252s |
| 20 | Lorenzo Savadori | Aprilia Test Rider | 1:50.390s |
| 21 | Alex Rins | Monster Yamaha | 1:50.763s |
| 22 | Jack Miller | Pramac Yamaha | 1:58.941s |
| 23 | Diogo Moreira | Honda LCR | No Time |
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