On September 12, Marco Bezzecchi took pole for the San Marino Grand Prix in 1 minute 29.982 seconds, becoming the first MotoGP rider to lap Misano in under 1 minute 30 seconds. He improved the all-time record of 1 minute 30.031 seconds set by Bagnaia at the 2024 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix by 0.049 seconds. Marc Márquez was second, 0.198 seconds behind, with Aldeguer third.
A record fourth lap delivers a second consecutive pole
On a dry track, the air temperature was 26°C and the surface temperature 30°C. Bezzecchi set the decisive time on his fourth lap for his fourth pole of the season, the 13th of his premier-class career and his second in succession.
Márquez’s first flying lap was invalidated for exceeding track limits. His second attempt briefly put him fastest before Di Giannantonio and then Bezzecchi took over at the top. After Bezzecchi’s record lap, Márquez continued to close on later attempts but ultimately remained 0.198 seconds short.
Álex Márquez crashed twice, on his third and seventh laps, and finished ninth. Di Giannantonio crashed at Turn 4 on his eighth lap but held fourth. Championship leader Martín was fifth, 0.587 seconds off pole. Marini took sixth for Honda at his home race, his best qualifying result of the season.
Aldeguer progresses from Q1 to the front row; Bagnaia qualifies 14th
Raúl Fernández led Q1 with 1 minute 30.535 seconds, while Aldeguer took the other progression spot, 0.042 seconds behind. Quartararo was third in Q1, 0.222 seconds away from second, and missed Q2. Bagnaia was fourth in Q1, leaving them 13th and 14th overall respectively.
Aldeguer then took third in Q2 for his second front-row start of the season after Hungary. Raúl Fernández qualified tenth, ahead of Zarco and Pol Espargaró, who was substituting for Viñales.
At the end of qualifying, Bezzecchi was 24 points behind Martín in the championship. The 13-lap Tissot Sprint was scheduled for 15:00 local time that day, or 21:00 China Standard Time (UTC+8), with Bezzecchi and Márquez occupying the first two grid positions.
Full San Marino Grand Prix qualifying order
| Position | Rider | Team | Q2 gap / Q1 lap time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marco Bezzecchi | Aprilia Racing | 1:29.982 |
| 2 | Marc Márquez | Ducati Team | +0.198 |
| 3 | Fermín Aldeguer | Gresini Racing | +0.368 |
| 4 | Fabio Di Giannantonio | VR46 Racing Team | +0.404 |
| 5 | Jorge Martín | Aprilia Racing | +0.587 |
| 6 | Luca Marini | Honda Team | +0.627 |
| 7 | Pedro Acosta | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | +0.658 |
| 8 | Franco Morbidelli | VR46 Racing Team | +0.661 |
| 9 | Álex Márquez | Gresini Racing | +0.714 |
| 10 | Raúl Fernández | Trackhouse Racing | +0.871 |
| 11 | Johann Zarco | Castrol Honda LCR | +0.905 |
| 12 | Pol Espargaró | Red Bull KTM Tech3 | +1.198 |
| 13 | Fabio Quartararo | Yamaha Factory Team | Q1 1:30.799 |
| 14 | Francesco Bagnaia | Ducati Team | Q1 1:30.916 |
| 15 | Diogo Moreira | Honda LCR | Q1 1:30.966 |
| 16 | Enea Bastianini | Red Bull KTM Tech3 | Q1 1:31.113 |
| 17 | Joan Mir | Honda Team | Q1 1:31.149 |
| 18 | Jack Miller | Pramac Yamaha | Q1 1:31.413 |
| 19 | Brad Binder | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | Q1 1:31.552 |
| 20 | Álex Rins | Yamaha Factory Team | Q1 1:31.593 |
| 21 | Toprak Razgatlıoğlu | Pramac Yamaha | Q1 1:32.264 |
Positions 1 to 12 follow the Q2 results, showing the pole time or the gap to pole. Positions 13 to 21 are ordered by the times of riders who did not progress from Q1, with their valid Q1 lap times shown.
