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Bezzecchi Sets New Misano Lap Record, Beats Marquez for Pole Position
Confirmed
In Short: Marco Bezzecchi secured his fourth pole position of the 2026 season by breaking the 1-minute 30-second barrier at Misano, edging out Marc Marquez.
Marco Bezzecchi set a new lap record at Misano with a time of 1 minute and 29.982 seconds, securing his fourth pole position of the 2026 season. His Aprilia performance was a significant improvement over the previous record, set by Francesco Bagnaia at 1 minute and 30.031 seconds. Despite early pace, Marc Marquez struggled with several crashes during qualifying, ultimately finishing second. The front-row fight between Bezzecchi and Marquez sets the stage for a tense race, with Jorge Martin starting from fifth.
Alex Marquez crashed twice during qualifying, including a significant fall at Turn 4, leaving him ninth on the grid. His initial time of 1 minute and 30.733 seconds was the early marker, but he was unable to improve on his second run. The qualifying session was marked by several incidents, with Bezzecchi's first attempt setting the pace and his second run securing the pole position.
The top 12 in the grid order included Johann Zarco and Pol Espargaro, with Gresini's Fermin Aldeguer completing the front row. The qualifying session was described as tense, with Bezzecchi and Marquez pushing hard for pole. Bezzecchi expressed satisfaction with his performance, noting that the qualifying wasn't easy, while Marquez acknowledged Bezzecchi's speed, particularly in the fast corners.
What's confirmed
- Marco Bezzecchi set a new lap record at Misano with a time of 1 minute and 29.982 seconds, securing his fourth pole position of the 2026 season. His Aprilia performance was a significant improvement over the previous record, set by Francesco Bagnaia at 1 minute and 30.031 seconds. Despite early pace, Marc Marquez struggled with several crashes during qualifying, ultimately finishing second. The front-row fight between Bezzecchi and Marquez sets the stage for a tense race, with Jorge Martin starting from fifth.
- Alex Marquez crashed twice during qualifying, including a significant fall at Turn 4, leaving him ninth on the grid. His initial time of 1 minute and 30.733 seconds was the early marker, but he was unable to improve on his second run. The qualifying session was marked by several incidents, with Bezzecchi's first attempt setting the pace and his second run securing the pole position.
- The top 12 in the grid order included Johann Zarco and Pol Espargaro, with Gresini's Fermin Aldeguer completing the front row. The qualifying session was described as tense, with Bezzecchi and Marquez pushing hard for pole. Bezzecchi expressed satisfaction with his performance, noting that the qualifying wasn't easy, while Marquez acknowledged Bezzecchi's speed, particularly in the fast corners.
What's still developing
- The factory Aprilia rider posted an incredible time of 1m29.982s on his first run in qualifying, beating reigning MotoGP champion Marc Marquez to the top spot by almost two tenths of a second.
- Minutes later, di Giannantonio snatched the top spot with a 1m30.504s aboard the VR46 Ducati, before Bezzecchi became the first rider in history to break the 90s barrier at Misano.
- This gave the Aprilia rider an advantage of 0.467s over di Giannantonio after the first runs, with Marc Marquez a further half a tenth behind in third.
- Bezzecchi’s Ducati rivals delivered significant improvements on their second runs, but the Italian remained out of reach, claiming his fourth pole of 2026 by 0.198s.
- The closest anyone came to Bezzecchi was Ducati star Marquez, who improved to 1m30.180s on his final run to qualify second, just ahead of Aldeguer’s Gresini bike.
- The top 12 was completed by Johann Zarco (LCR) and Pol Espargaro (Tech3), although the former remains under investigation for allegedly impeding Bezzecchi in qualifying.
- Making another mistake at the start of his second run, Marquez produced a 1m30.180s on his final effort to move up to second, albeit 0.198s from Bezzecchi’s lap.
- Alex Marquez, on the sister Gresini Ducati, set the early pace in Q2 with a 1m30.733s, though he would crash just moments later while on a second push lap.