Bezzecchi Breaks Lusail Lap Record to Take Qatar MotoGP Pole
Marco Bezzecchi delivered a dominant qualifying performance at the Qatar Grand Prix, putting Aprilia on pole position with a new lap record at the Lusail International Circuit. The Italian finished ahead of championship leader Marc Márquez, while Fabio Di Giannantonio completed the front row.
Bezzecchi Sets the Pace with Record-Breaking Lap
Bezzecchi produced a stunning lap of 1 minute 50.028 seconds in Q2 to secure the top spot for the Qatar MotoGP round on Saturday, November 7. He broke the Lusail lap record twice during the session and ultimately finished 0.266 seconds ahead of Márquez.
Márquez had briefly taken the benchmark earlier in Q2, but the Ducati rider could not match Bezzecchi’s pace on his final attempt. The Aprilia star improved his own time to confirm his fifth pole position of the 2026 season.
Di Giannantonio secured third place with a time 0.299 seconds behind Bezzecchi. The VR46 Ducati rider had been Friday’s fastest performer and carried that pace into qualifying to claim a front-row start.
Aprilia and Ducati Share the Front Rows
Raúl Fernández qualified fourth for Trackhouse Aprilia, followed by Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia in fifth. Ai Ogura completed the second row in sixth, giving Aprilia three riders inside the top six.
Johann Zarco was the leading Honda representative in seventh, ahead of KTM’s Pedro Acosta in eighth. Fermín Aldeguer and Enea Bastianini secured ninth and 10th respectively.
Jorge Martín, Bezzecchi’s Aprilia team-mate and one of the leading championship contenders, could manage only 11th. He finished 1.036 seconds behind the pole-sitter and will have significant ground to recover in the sprint and Grand Prix.
Márquez Maintains Championship Advantage
The qualifying result adds another dimension to the title battle. Márquez arrived in Qatar leading the championship, with Martín 44 points behind him and Bezzecchi 67 points adrift.
Starting from pole gives Bezzecchi an important opportunity to challenge the leading Ducati riders across the weekend. Márquez, meanwhile, will line up alongside him on the front row, keeping the championship leader in a strong position to fight for valuable points.
With the Qatar Grand Prix forming part of the closing stages of the 2026 season, the sprint and Sunday’s main race could prove significant in shaping the title contest.
2026 Qatar MotoGP Qualifying Results
Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia) – 1:50.028
Marc Márquez (Ducati) – +0.266s
Fabio Di Giannantonio (VR46 Ducati) – +0.299s
Raúl Fernández (Trackhouse Aprilia) – +0.429s
Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) – +0.564s
Ai Ogura (Trackhouse Aprilia) – +0.568s
Johann Zarco (LCR Honda) – +0.707s
Pedro Acosta (KTM) – +0.844s
Fermín Aldeguer (Gresini Ducati) – +0.862s
Enea Bastianini (Tech3 KTM) – +0.973s
Jorge Martín (Aprilia) – +1.036s
Brad Binder (KTM) – +1.876s
