MotoGP News: Marco Bezzecchi stuns with home GP pole position

Marco Bezzecchi delivered a dream result on home soil, storming to pole position for the 2025 San Marino MotoGP at Misano with a blistering 1m30.134s—the weekend’s fastest lap.

–by Mark Cipolloni–

The factory Aprilia rider, second quickest on Friday, elevated his game in Saturday’s FP2 by topping the timesheets and churning out consistent low-1m31s efforts. His final Q2 flier, aided by a deliberate tow from teammate Jorge Martin, dethroned provisional pole-sitter Alex Marquez by a razor-thin 0.088s, marking Bezzecchi’s third pole of the campaign after Silverstone and Austria.

“What a feeling,” Bezzecchi said post-session. “That tow from Jorge was perfect—we planned it to the tee.”

The 28-year-old’s heroics cap a strong resurgence, putting Aprilia on top for the Sprint Race later today and the Grand Prix tomorrow, where points leader Marc Marquez lurks just off the front row.

Q2 Drama: Late Charges and Tumbles

Gresini Ducati’s Alex Marquez set the early benchmark in Q2 with a 1m30.222, but the session exploded on the second runs. Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo, fresh from Q1, slotted into provisional P2 with a 1m30.318s—his best just 0.096s shy of the target—before Bezzecchi’s tow-assisted strike sealed the deal.

Marquez brothers bookended the front row drama: title frontrunner Marc (#93) mustered a season-worst P4 (1m30.352s), his final push falling flat after starting seventh. “Not the pace we wanted, but we’ll fight from here,” he reflected, his championship bid intact but momentum checked.

Ped Pedro Acosta’s Q2 hopes cratered with a late crash while drafting Marc’s GP25, relegating the Red Bull KTM rookie to a frustrating ninth. VR46’s Franco Morbidelli held firm in fifth (1m30.3s), split from teammate Fabio Di Giannantonio (seventh, 1m30.4s) by Honda’s Luca Marini, who uncorked a late 1m30.390s for his best HRC qualifying yet in sixth.

Factory Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia labored to eighth (1m30.414s), while Fermin Aldeguer advanced from Q1 but faded to tenth. Martin, the tow provider, limped to 11th—over eight tenths off Bezzecchi—as he hunts for RS-GP qualifying form.

Q1 Heartbreak: Bastianini Tumbles Down the Order

Quartararo dominated Q1 with a near-weekend-best 1m30.4, advancing alongside Aldeguer despite visible Yamaha frustration. But the session’s big scalp was Enea Bastianini: the Misano specialist (last year’s winner) and Catalunya podium finisher binned it on an out-lap at Turn 15, slumping to 10th and a grid slot of 20th. “Gutted—cold tire caught me out,” Bastianini admitted.

Pramac’s Miguel Oliveira missed Q2 by a heartbreaking 0.09s (13th overall), ahead of Trackhouse’s Raul Fernandez and Ai Ogura.

Injury Cloud: Mir Sidelined

HRC’s Joan Mir skipped qualifying entirely, nursing neck pain from Friday’s Turn 9 crash. With a direct Q2 entry from practice, he lines up 12th for Sunday’s GP—if he declares fit—while sitting out today’s Sprint.

Augusto Fernandez’s woes mounted with another Turn 2 spill in FP2 on the V4 Yamaha, landing 22nd in Q1 (ahead only of LCR’s Somkiat Chantra at 1m31.812s)—0.130s slower than his Friday best.

With Bezzecchi’s pole igniting home hopes and Marquez’s front-row lockout dented, today’s Tissot Sprint (3:00pm local) sets the tone for a Misano masterclass—where strategy and slipstreams could flip the script on the Adriatic asphalt.

San Marino GP Qualifying Results

* Rookie