On April 12, 2025, qualifying for the MotoGP Qatar Grand Prix came to a close after a dramatic session that attracted attention across the paddock.
Marc Márquez delivered an excellent performance on his Ducati to take pole position with a 1:50.499. His younger brother Álex Márquez, also riding a Ducati, was second with a 1:50.600, putting the brothers in the spotlight once again.
Two unexpected developments became major talking points. One was a crash for Marc Márquez’s Ducati team-mate Francesco Bagnaia on his final run. The mistake compromised Bagnaia’s qualifying and left him starting only eleventh, making it much harder for him to repeat his victory at the previous round, the Grand Prix of the Americas.
The other surprise came from Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo. The 2021 Doha Grand Prix winner produced an impressive effort late in qualifying and briefly topped the times. Although the Márquez brothers subsequently went faster, he still took third with a 1:50.759 and secured a front-row start, giving Yamaha cause for optimism.
The VR46 Ducati riders also impressed, with Franco Morbidelli and Fabio Di Giannantonio taking fourth and fifth respectively. Tech3’s Maverick Viñales continued his strong form from the Americas Grand Prix and was the leading KTM rider in sixth, earning a place on the second row.
Rookie Ai Ogura attracted particular attention. Riding for Trackhouse, he was the only Aprilia rider to reach Q2 and ultimately qualified tenth, ahead of Bagnaia after the Ducati rider’s mistake. The other Aprilia riders had a less successful session. Factory rider Marco Bezzecchi failed to reach Q2, although he was a tenth quicker than team-mate Jorge Martín, who was returning from injury. Martín made a mistake on the first flying lap of his final run but recovered to take fourteenth.
Ogura was strong in Q1, advancing with a 1:51.104, 0.408 seconds ahead of second-placed Álex Rins. Honda’s Luca Marini and Joan Mir had disappointing sessions in fifteenth and twenty-first. Pramac Yamaha’s Jack Miller crashed twice in practice and finished qualifying sixteenth. KTM’s Brad Binder also disappointed, taking only eighteenth.
Marc Márquez would carry the advantage of pole into the Grand Prix, with considerable anticipation over whether he could maintain his form and win. Bagnaia would have to fight back from further down the grid, while Quartararo and the other riders were also eager for a strong race result. The Qatar Grand Prix promised an even more intense contest, leaving fans waiting to see who would emerge on top.
2025 MotoGP Round 4 Qatar Grand Prix qualifying results
| Position | No. | Rider | Team | Q1 time | Q2 time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 93 | Marc Márquez | Ducati Team | — | 1’50.499 |
| 2 | 73 | Álex Márquez | Gresini Racing | — | 1’50.600 |
| 3 | 20 | Fabio Quartararo | Yamaha Team | — | 1’50.759 |
| 4 | 21 | Franco Morbidelli | VR46 Racing Team | — | 1’50.810 |
| 5 | 49 | Fabio Di Giannantonio | VR46 Racing Team | — | 1’50.929 |
| 6 | 12 | Maverick Viñales | Red Bull KTM Tech3 | — | 1’51.059 |
| 7 | 5 | Johann Zarco | Castrol Honda LCR | — | 1’51.113 |
| 8 | 54 | Fermín Aldeguer | Gresini Racing | — | 1’51.121 |
| 9 | 42 | Álex Rins | Yamaha Team | 1’51.512 | 1’51.174 |
| 10 | 79 | Ai Ogura | Trackhouse Racing | 1’51.104 | 1’51.340 |
| 11 | 63 | Francesco Bagnaia | Ducati Team | — | 1’51.580 |
| 12 | 37 | Pedro Acosta | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | — | 1’51.680 |
| 13 | 72 | Marco Bezzecchi | Aprilia Racing | 1’51.553 | — |
| 14 | 1 | Jorge Martín | Aprilia Racing | 1’51.655 | — |
| 15 | 10 | Luca Marini | Honda Team | 1’51.728 | — |
| 16 | 43 | Jack Miller | Pramac Racing | 1’51.735 | — |
| 17 | 25 | Raúl Fernández | Trackhouse Racing | 1’51.822 | — |
| 18 | 33 | Brad Binder | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | 1’51.947 | — |
| 19 | 7 | Augusto Fernández | Pramac Racing | 1’51.975 | — |
| 20 | 23 | Enea Bastianini | Red Bull KTM Tech3 | 1’52.178 | — |
| 21 | 36 | Joan Mir | Honda Team | 1’52.205 | — |
| 22 | 35 | Somkiat Chantra | Idemitsu Honda LCR | 1’53.244 | — |
Positions follow the Q2 and Q1 session results. The table shows qualifying times before any subsequent grid penalties. Results verified against Official MotoGP Q1 timing sheet and Q2 timing sheet (© DORNA, 2025).
