2026 MotoGP Round 4, Spanish Grand Prix Qualifying: Marc Márquez Takes Pole in the Rain in Jerez Qualifying Thriller

       Qualifying for the 2026 MotoGP Spanish Grand Prix concluded at Jerez on April 25, 2026. Factory Ducati rider Marc Márquez set the fastest lap in wet conditions, beating LCR Honda’s Johann Zarco to pole and laying the foundations for a long-awaited return to winning ways.

       Track conditions made this a challenging qualifying session. Q1 began on a damp track, with a brief shower arriving five minutes into the session to put riders and teams to the test. The rain neither slowed lap times nor gave an advantage to riders crossing the line late in the session. Zarco and KTM rider Pedro Acosta excelled in the difficult conditions, pulling nearly a second clear of the rest and securing their places in Q2 early, without needing a final all-out push.

       There was no rain during the break between Q1 and Q2, but the track was still unsuitable for slick tyres. Lap times were more than 10 seconds slower than in Friday’s dry conditions, and that remained the case until qualifying ended. The battle for pole nevertheless went down to the wire. With four minutes remaining in qualifying, Zarco went fastest with a 1m48.625s lap, emerging as the only rider capable of threatening Márquez.

       Márquez secured pole with a 1m48.087s lap on his penultimate tour. Zarco responded with an all-out effort on his final lap, improving to 1m48.227s, but a mistake at the final corner cost him the chance to take the top spot. Behind the fight at the front, the gaps were substantial: even Zarco’s second-fastest lap would have been enough to secure second on the grid, while third-placed Fabio Di Giannantonio was a full 0.870 seconds behind him.

       The second row consists of championship leader and Aprilia rider Marco Bezzecchi, 2025 Spanish Grand Prix winner Álex Márquez, and Acosta. Aprilia Racing rider Jorge Martín qualified seventh, but his three-place grid penalty promotes Enea Bastianini, Raúl Fernández and Francesco Bagnaia to the third row, with Martín heading the fourth row.

       Diogo Moreira, Franco Morbidelli and Jack Miller were left at the back after failing to set valid lap times in Q1. All three crashed during qualifying, while Morbidelli also suffered an engine problem that left his bike smoking. Miller’s crash was particularly unfortunate: the wet-weather specialist had looked capable of seizing the opportunity to reach Q2.

       Márquez has struggled with injuries since his crash at last year’s Indonesian round, missing several races. His most recent victory came at the 2025 San Marino Grand Prix, while his previous pole was at the Hungarian Grand Prix, two rounds earlier. This pole in the rain gives him a chance to end his winless run in Sunday’s race.