2026 MotoGP Round 12, British Grand Prix Qualifying: Martín Snatches Pole as Aprilia Locks Out the Front Row

       Qualifying for the MotoGP British Grand Prix at Silverstone concluded on 8 August 2026, with championship leader Jorge Martín delivering an all-out final lap to snatch pole from Raúl Fernández by just 0.021 seconds and claim his second pole-position trophy of the season. Aprilia locked out all three front-row positions, with all four of its riders qualifying in the top five in a formidable display of form.

       As Q2 got under way, Gresini Racing’s Álex Márquez was the first to break the 1m57s barrier, setting the early benchmark before Trackhouse rider Raúl Fernández went top with a 1m56.593s lap. Álex Márquez improved slightly on his next lap, but his elder brother Marc Márquez soon took over at the top, the factory Ducati rider posting a 1m56.527s to round out the riders’ first flying-lap runs. Once everyone had fitted fresh soft tyres, the lap times continued to tumble. Marco Bezzecchi, who had shown outstanding form in Friday practice, went faster than Márquez, before Fernández raised his game again, breaking Bezzecchi’s Silverstone lap record to seize first place.

       With only a few minutes of qualifying remaining, Fernández held a sizeable advantage and appeared to have his first career pole position secured. But factory Aprilia rider Martín produced a stunning 1m56.160s lap to snatch the top spot at the last gasp. Fernández had to settle for second, with his team-mate Ai Ogura taking third to complete Aprilia’s front-row lockout. VR46 rider Fabio Di Giannantonio was Ducati’s best performer in fourth, while reigning British Grand Prix winner Bezzecchi placed fifth. Bezzecchi had not yet fully recovered from the injuries he sustained at the Sachsenring round, and parts of his bike’s bodywork came loose in the latter half of qualifying, leaving him unable to improve his lap time any further. The Márquez brothers could not maintain their front-running pace during their second flying-lap runs. Reigning champion Marc Márquez ended the session sixth, with Gresini’s Álex Márquez seventh, both more than 0.3 seconds off pole.

       Franco Morbidelli progressed through Q1 and took eighth on his VR46 Ducati, ahead of Pedro Acosta’s KTM. Iker Lecuona, standing in for the injured Fermín Aldeguer, continued his impressive recent form, advancing from Q1 before securing tenth to earn a place in the qualifying top ten. Jack Miller and Joan Mir finished 11th and 12th respectively, bringing up the rear in Q2.

       Qualifying produced a major upset as factory Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia was eliminated in Q1, suffering his worst qualifying performance of the season. He will start the Grand Prix from 16th. Last season’s pole-sitter at this venue, Fabio Quartararo, waited until the final moments to deliver his decisive flying lap but missed out on Q2 by just 0.050 seconds. He will start the Grand Prix from 13th, sharing the fifth row with Honda riders Diogo Moreira and Luca Marini. Home rider Cal Crutchlow put his LCR Honda 20th, ahead of Pol Espargaró, Toprak Razgatlıoğlu and Yamaha test rider Augusto Fernández. Following qualifying at Silverstone, Aprilia holds a commanding advantage on the grid, setting up an intriguing contest in this Saturday’s Sprint and Sunday’s Grand Prix.

Q2

Q1