2025 Qatar MotoGP: Marc Marquez snatches pole, Pecco Bagnaia 11th after crash
Marc Marquez maintains 100% pole record in 2025 at Qatar GP
Marc Marquez snatched a fourth successive MotoGP pole in 2025 after beating Alex Marquez with a new lap record in Qatar Grand Prix qualifying, as Pecco Bagnaia crashed.
Factory Ducati rider Marc Marquez came into the Qatar weekend expecting to be behind team-mate Pecco Bagnaia and championship leader Alex Marquez.
In qualifying, the Marquez brothers locked horn in a tense battle for pole that went the way of Marc Marquez.
Maintaining his 100% pole record, Marc Marquez set a new lap record with a 1m50.499s to beat Alex Marquez on the Gresini-run GP24 Ducati by 0.101s.
Fabio Quartararo completed the front row for Yamaha for his first front row since the 2022 Dutch GP, while Bagnaia will launch from 11th after crashing late on in Q2.
Marc Marquez set the early pace in Q2 on his factory team Ducati with a 1m50.877s, as he hooked in behind Alex Marquez to use the Gresini rider as a reference.
That lap went unchallenged as the 12 Q2 contenders completed their first runs.
Bagnaia looked set to be the first rider to challenge his team-mate’s lap as he came through sector one fastest of all with just over four minutes to go.
But he crashed going into Turn 4 and ended his session there. Sat in ninth at that stage, Bagnaia - who was fast in terms of race pace on Friday - will start both races from 11th in Qatar.
Marc Marquez was eventually deposed with just over a minute to go when Quartararo guided his Yamaha to a 1m50.759s to set a new lap record.
But that last all of a few seconds, as Alex Marquez took provisional pole with a 1m50.600s.
Marc Marquez put this under threat on his final flying lap as he tucked in behind VR46’s Franco Morbidelli, and snatched pole away from his younger brother with a 1m50.499s.
Morbidelli heads row two with a 1m50.810s, with VR46 team-mate Fabio Di Giannantonio fifth and Tech3 KTM rider Maverick Vinales sixth.
Johann Zarco led the Honda charge in seventh for LCR, while Gresini rookie Fermin Aldeguer was eighth ahead of the sister factory Yamaha of Alex Rins - who came through Q1.
Q1 pacesetter Ai Ogura was 10th on the Trackhouse Aprilia, while Pedro Acosta was 12th on his factory KTM behind Bagnaia.
Narrowly missing out on a place in Q2 was factory Aprilia rider Marco Bezzecchi, who was just 0.041s outside of the cutoff.
He will start 13th, while returning team-mate and reigning champion Jorge Martin impressed with a run to 14th for his first race of 2025 later on Saturday in the sprint.
Luca Marini was 15th for the factory Honda squad ahead of Pramac Yamaha’s Jack Miller, while Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse), Brad Binder (KTM), Augusto Fernandez (Pramac), Enea Bastianini (Tech3), Joan Mir (Honda) and Somkiat Chantra (LCR) completed the grid.
