- Marco Bezzecchi breaks Mugello circuit record to claim spectacular Italian pole.
- Championship leader Marco Bezzecchi leads historic all-Aprilia front-row lockout.
- Record-breaking Marco Bezzecchi secures pole ahead of dominant Aprilia trio.
Marco Bezzecchi delivered a huge qualifying statement at Mugello, putting Aprilia on pole for the Italian MotoGP with a new circuit record and leading an all-Aprilia front row ahead of Raul Fernandez and Jorge Martin.
Bezzecchi took pole with a 1m43.921s lap, the first sub-1m44s MotoGP lap recorded at Mugello. Trackhouse Aprilia rider Raul Fernandez came through Q1 and qualified second, 0.224s back, while Jorge Martin completed the front row for Aprilia.
It is Aprilia’s first MotoGP front-row lockout, achieved at Ducati’s home race, with Marc Marquez fourth on his return and the leading Ducati rider. Fermin Aldeguer and Francesco Bagnaia complete row two.
The three Asprilias…
Mugello has usually been a happy hunting ground for Ducati, so Aprilia locking out the front row is a big statement. Bezzecchi already arrived as championship leader, and this pole gives him track position for both the Sprint and Grand Prix at a venue where overtaking is possible, but tyre life, top speeds and the long run to Turn 1 can quickly change the race.
Marquez, in fourth, just 0.373s from pole after his injury comeback, was a good one-lap return, but Ducati still starts behind three Aprilias on Italian soil. Bagnaia, sixth, now has work to do in front of the home crowd.
MotoGP Mugello – Qualifying classification (Q2 + Q1)
| Grid Pos | Rider | Team / Bike | Lap Time | Gap |
| 1 | Marco Bezzecchi | Aprilia Racing (Aprilia) | 1:43.921 | — (New Record) |
| 2 | Raul Fernandez | Trackhouse Racing (Aprilia) | 1:44.145 | +0.224 |
| 3 | Jorge Martin | Aprilia Racing (Aprilia) | 1:44.201 | +0.280 |
| 4 | Marc Marquez | Ducati Lenovo Team (Ducati) | 1:44.294 | +0.373 |
| 5 | Fermin Aldeguer | Gresini Racing (Ducati) | 1:44.315 | +0.394 |
| 6 | Francesco Bagnaia | Ducati Lenovo Team (Ducati) | 1:44.380 | +0.459 |
| 7 | Fabio Di Giannantonio | Pertamina Enduro VR46 (Ducati) | 1:44.462 | +0.541 |
| 8 | Franco Morbidelli | Pertamina Enduro VR46 (Ducati) | 1:44.510 | +0.589 |
| 9 | Enea Bastianini | Red Bull KTM Tech3 (KTM) | 1:44.555 | +0.634 |
| 10 | Alex Rins | Monster Energy Yamaha (Yamaha) | 1:44.602 | +0.681 |
| 11 | Diogo Moreira | Pro Honda LCR (Honda) | 1:44.711 | +0.790 |
| 12 | Ai Ogura | Trackhouse Racing (Aprilia) | 1:44.823 | +0.902 |
| 13 | Pedro Acosta | Red Bull KTM Factory (KTM) | 1:44.890 | (Eliminated Q1) |
| 14 | Maverick Vinales | Red Bull KTM Tech3 (KTM) | 1:45.012 | (Eliminated Q1) |
| 15 | Joan Mir | Honda HRC Castrol (Honda) | 1:45.188 | (Eliminated Q1) |
| 16 | Jack Miller | Prima Pramac Yamaha (Yamaha) | 1:45.210 | (Eliminated Q1) |
| 17 | Fabio Quartararo | Monster Energy Yamaha (Yamaha) | 1:45.244 | (Eliminated Q1) |
| 18 | Brad Binder | Red Bull KTM Factory (KTM) | 1:45.390 | (Eliminated Q1) |
| 19 | Luca Marini | Honda HRC Castrol (Honda) | 1:45.601 | (Eliminated Q1) |
| 20 | Toprak Razgatlioglu | Prima Pramac Yamaha (Yamaha) | 1:45.889 | (Eliminated Q1) |
| 21 | Michele Pirro | BK8 Gresini Racing (Ducati) | 1:46.102 | (Eliminated Q1) |
| 22 | Cal Crutchlow | Castrol Honda LCR (Honda) | 1:47.215 | (Eliminated Q1) |
New all-time MotoGP top-speed record
Friday had a different outcome, with Fabio Di Giannantonio sweeping practice and leading an Italian 1-2-3-4, while Marquez secured direct Q2 on his first day back. But qualifying flipped the picture: Di Giannantonio could only manage seventh, while Aprilia turned strong championship form into grid positions.
There was another Aprilia marker in final practice too, with Jorge Martin reaching 368.6km/h, reported as a new all-time MotoGP top-speed record. That’s significant at Mugello because the front straight is one of the biggest performance tests on the calendar.
Strategic advantage
The Sprint will be proof of whether Aprilia’s qualifying pace can convert over race distance. Bezzecchi has the cleanest opportunity (and track), but Fernandez and Martin give Aprilia a strategic advantage, while Marquez, Aldeguer and Bagnaia will have to make Ducati’s race pace count from the second row.
For Marquez, the next question is physical as much as technical. His fourth place suggests the speed is still there, but the Sprint and Grand Prix will test his fitness and durability far more.
