On August 29, Bezzecchi clocked a 1:44.962 in MotoGP Aragon Grand Prix qualifying, beating Marc Marquez by 0.089s, with Alex Marquez taking third. Bezzecchi dipped under 1:45 twice, while Marquez made a mistake on his final attempt.
Qualifying recap: two record-breakers, but the final attack fell short
The fight began in Q1. Only the top two from that session could advance to Q2 and fight for the top 12, and Bagnaia topped the timesheets with a 1:45.820, 0.021s ahead of Moreira in second. Moreira crashed at Turn 2 in the closing stages, but his earlier lap was still good enough to progress, after which he switched to his second bike for Q2.
At the start of Q2, Marc Marquez broke Bezzecchi’s Friday benchmark with a 1:45.136, before Bezzecchi hit back with a 1:44.984 to reclaim P1. On Marquez’s second run, he improved to 1:45.051; Bezzecchi then trimmed another 0.022s from his own time to set a new lap record at 1:44.962.
MotoGP’s official recap tracked Marquez’s final-lap chase: he was 0.141s down in the first sector, then cut that to 0.013s. But he had a front-end moment at Turn 14 and could not complete the lap, leaving him second on his previous time. Alex Marquez’s 1:45.261 was 0.210s slower than his brother’s, enough for the final spot on the front row.
The other riders and Bezzecchi’s physical condition
Raul Fernandez and Martin took fourth and fifth respectively, giving Aprilia three of the top five places. Acosta crashed at Turn 8 but still finished sixth; Di Giannantonio was seventh, Q1 graduate Bagnaia eighth, and Zarco and Moreira ninth and 10th. Miller, who did not make it into Q2, ended up 13th and was the best Yamaha rider in qualifying.
Bezzecchi is still racing injured. He said on Friday that his knee was still causing discomfort; Motorsport’s qualifying report also noted that he had not fully recovered after his crash in Germany. This was his first pole since the Italian GP in May, and his physical condition did not stop him from setting the fastest lap of the session.
2026 MotoGP Round 13 Aragon Grand Prix Qualifying Results
| Pos. | No. | Rider | Team | Q1 Time | Q2 Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 72 | Marco Bezzecchi | Aprilia Racing | — | 1'44.962 |
| 2 | 93 | Marc Marquez | Ducati Team | — | 1'45.051 |
| 3 | 73 | Alex Marquez | Gresini Racing | — | 1'45.261 |
| 4 | 25 | Raul Fernandez | Trackhouse Racing | — | 1'45.375 |
| 5 | 89 | Jorge Martin | Aprilia Racing | — | 1'45.436 |
| 6 | 37 | Pedro Acosta | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | — | 1'45.555 |
| 7 | 49 | Fabio Di Giannantonio | VR46 Racing Team | — | 1'45.615 |
| 8 | 63 | Francesco Bagnaia | Ducati Team | 1'45.820 | 1'45.671 |
| 9 | 5 | Johann Zarco | Castrol Honda LCR | — | 1'45.783 |
| 10 | 11 | Diogo Moreira | Honda LCR | 1'45.841 | 1'45.802 |
| 11 | 54 | Fermin Aldeguer | Gresini Racing | — | 1'45.892 |
| 12 | 21 | Franco Morbidelli | VR46 Racing Team | — | 1'45.919 |
| 13 | 43 | Jack Miller | Pramac Racing | 1'45.959 | — |
| 14 | 33 | Brad Binder | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | 1'45.998 | — |
| 15 | 36 | Joan Mir | Honda HRC | 1'46.026 | — |
| 16 | 23 | Enea Bastianini | Red Bull KTM Tech3 | 1'46.096 | — |
| 17 | 20 | Fabio Quartararo | Yamaha Factory Racing | 1'46.131 | — |
| 18 | 10 | Luca Marini | Honda HRC | 1'46.211 | — |
| 19 | 42 | Alex Rins | Yamaha Factory Racing | 1'46.322 | — |
| 20 | 44 | Pol Espargaro | Red Bull KTM Tech3 | 1'46.384 | — |
| 21 | 7 | Toprak Razgatlioglu | Pramac Racing | 1'46.549 | — |
| 22 | 32 | Lorenzo Savadori | Trackhouse Racing | 1'47.388 | — |
The top 12 are listed by Q2 time, with the rest listed by Q1 time; “—” indicates that the rider did not take part in that session. This table shows qualifying times only and does not include grid penalties. © MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group, 2026.
INKA SPORTS analysis: how Bezzecchi built his pole advantage
Bezzecchi’s advantage was already established before Marquez’s final-lap mistake. His 1:44.984 was 0.067s faster than Marquez’s best time of the session; he then improved by another 0.022s, widening the gap his rival needed to recover to 0.089s. Two fully completed hot laps show that this pole was backed by genuine single-lap pace, and the final improvement only increased the chase Marquez had to make.
Marquez cut the sector deficit to 0.013s, which shows the final attack still had suspense, but the moment at Turn 14 prevented the chase from turning into a complete lap. In the end, the difference came down to lap completion: Bezzecchi delivered two laps good enough for first place, while Marquez could not carry his final-lap recovery to the line. That explains the qualifying result, while the repeated pace over a race distance and the burden of racing with injuries will have to be tested separately.
Conclusion
Bezzecchi built his lead with two record laps and held pole after Marquez failed to complete his final attack. This qualifying session confirmed his one-lap competitiveness; the sprint race will now test whether he can turn a pole-position start into a sustained lead, especially in dealing with the Marquez brothers on the same front row.
