Amid crashes and drama: Bezzecchi claims the first 2026 pole, Aprilia shines, Bagnaia in trouble

Two crashes between FP2 and Q2, but Marco Bezzecchi takes the first MotoGP pole position of 2026! Report and standings.

Marco Bezzecchi secures the top spot on the grid for the first Grand Prix of this new Championship. However, it hasn’t been as easy a day as you might think after smashing the outright record yesterday. Today he started with the fastest time and a slide at Turn 3 in FP2, then had a second crash in Q2, but no one managed to snatch away first place, which therefore stays in the hands of the Aprilia standard-bearer. A second Aprilia is in third position, the #25 of Raul Fernandez who came through from Q1, and between them is Marc Marquez, putting Ducati on the front row. Pecco Bagnaia, on the other hand, doesn’t even make it to the second session... Remember the Sprint race at 9:00 AM Italian time—here’s how it has gone so far.

The first is Pecco Bagnaia, who yesterday owned up by admitting a mistake. Raul Fernandez is then the only Aprilia rider not already directly in Q2. It’s no surprise to find all the Yamahas here, along with the Tech3 KTMs, two Hondas, Morbidelli, the tester/stand-in Pirro, the first penalized of the year. The fight is tight, and Bagnaia continues to surprise—but alas, not positively: there are shocked looks in the Ducati box, he’s the first one out! Noted as well is a late slide for Franco Morbidelli, who nonetheless advances along with Raul Fernandez, the author of the best time in this session.

All 12 Q2 protagonists are out on track immediately to make the most of the session. The Aprilias start showing their pace right away, and not just Bezzecchi: Raul Fernandez, fresh from Q1, and Jorge Martin also soar to the top. For several minutes the Venetian manufacturer completely monopolizes the front row, but the final minutes bring some upheaval. Marc Marquez in particular muscles into 2nd place just 35 thousandths behind Bezzecchi, with Raul Fernandez in third. That will be the front row for the Thailand Grand Prix!