Marco Bezzecchi Claims the Last and Tightest Pole of the Year

It was a sunny morning at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, setting the stage for a day of qualifications that began with the final free practice sessions. The highlight was the crash of Friday's fastest rider, Pedro Acosta, who fell in the last minutes of the session. Fortunately, he returned to the pits with his bike barely damaged and was able to use it for Q2.

Before the final 15 minutes that would decide the pole, Q1 took place, offering a second chance to the two best times. Among them was Pecco Bagnaia, appearing for the sixth time in the last eleven Grands Prix. The Italian's Ducati stopped midway through the session, allegedly due to a lack of fuel, leaving him unable to qualify for Q2.

Without the main favourite, Q1 saw Spanish rider Raúl Fernández and Frenchman Johann Zarco advance, with Zarco benefiting from the slipstream of Honda's test rider, Aleix Espargaró. This pushed official rider Luca Marini out of Q2, who will start thirteenth, ahead of Espargaró and Brad Binder. Bagnaia will start from the sixth row, having completed only one lap during the session, alongside his rival of the past two years, Jorge Martín, who achieved a commendable 17th position despite uncertainty about completing the entire Grand Prix.

A fierce battle for pole was anticipated after Friday's practice sessions, but perhaps not that the top five would be separated by less than a tenth of a second. Specifically, there was a 96-millisecond difference between poleman Marco Bezzecchi and fifth-placed Pedro Acosta, marking one of the closest qualifications in history.

The Aprilia rider secured his fifth pole in the last ten races with a record time of 1'28.809, a remarkable feat considering he had a track exit on his first tire and gambled everything on the second, surpassing the time set by Álex Márquez, who had led Q2 until then. The MotoGP runner-up had another chance but couldn't improve Bezzecchi's time, starting from the second position on the grid. Despite not securing pole, the Spaniard achieved his goal of starting from the front row at a circuit where overtaking is challenging. "We don't quite shine like at other circuits, and it's not so much the bike as it is me, unable to make the difference," admitted the rider from Cervera.

Completing the front row is another Ducati, ridden by Fabio Di Giannantonio, while Raúl Fernández's Aprilia leads the second row, capitalizing on the momentum from Q1. The Madrid rider outperformed one of the weekend's favourites, Pedro Acosta, who struggled with KTM's persistent weakness in qualifications.

Two more Ducatis will be on the third row, with Franco Morbidelli in seventh and Fermín Aldeguer in ninth. In between them is the Yamaha of Australian Jack Miller. The fourth row will feature Honda's Joan Mir in tenth and Johann Zarco, ahead of Ai Ogura in twelfth, who was the fastest in the morning's free practice.

Immediately after the final Q2 of the season, Marc Márquez reappeared, dressed in official Ducati red. The world champion, still recovering from his latest shoulder surgery, received the award for the best qualifier of the season, thanks in part to his eight poles in 2025. He will also attend the 'MotoGP Awards' gala on Sunday as the reigning class champion.