Marco Bezzecchi set a scintillating all-time lap record as he clinched pole position for his home MotoGP grand prix at Misano.
Bezzecchi became the first rider to set a sub-1m30s lap time at the Misano circuit as he cruised to pole position, with his first lap time proving unbeatable throughout the session.
Alex Marquez initially set the fastest time in the session, but slid out immediately after his best lap time, although the resulting yellow flag didn’t cost any riders – notably his brother who moved to the top of the timesheets.
However, the Marquez 1-2 did not last long as Marco Bezzecchi set the fastest lap around the Misano circuit, with his 1:29.982s breaking Francesco Bagnaia’s record time from 2024.
Although some riders attempted to get close to Bezzecchi’s time, no other rider could find a sub 1m30s lap time as the Italian clinched pole position at his home race.
Marquez came closest to challenging Bezzecchi as the factory Ducati rider took second at the flag, while Fermin Aldeguer’s impressive lap saw him complete the front row in third after coming through Q1.
Fabio Di Giannantonio suffered a crash late on in qualifying and dropped to the second row in fourth, while championship leader Jorge Martin struggled to put a competitive lap in fifth. Luca Marini joined the pair on the second row in sixth.
Pedro Acosta qualified seventh ahead of eighth-placed Franco Morbidelli. Alex Marquez crashed for a second time at the end of the session and finished ninth.
Raul Fernandez completed the top 10 after progressing from Q1 ahead of Johann Zarco, while Pol Espargaro continued to deputise for Maverick Vinales and finished 12th.
Fabio Quartararo missed out on a Q2 spot in 13th and headed the fifth row ahead of Francesco Bagnaia, who recorded his career-worst qualifying at Misano in 14th, and Diogo Moreira in 15th.
Enea Bastianini also struggled at his home track and qualified 16th, sharing the sixth row with Joan Mir and Jack Miller.
Brad Binder was over a second off the time to progress to Q2 and finished 19th, while Alex Rins took 20th. Toprak Razgatlioglu rounded out the standings in 21st in his first visit to Misano on a MotoGP bike.
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