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Marquez Tops Qatar GP Qualifying as Bagnaia Stumbles
Marc Marquez secured yet another pole position for the 2025 season during the Qatar Grand Prix qualifying on Saturday, narrowly surpassing his brother Alex, who will start from the second spot aboard the Gresini Ducati.
The qualifying session at the Losail International Circuit was marked by surprising twists, notably the misfortune of Francesco Bagnaia. The reigning champion and Marquez’s factory Ducati teammate fell during his final attempt, leaving him stranded in 11th place on the starting grid. This setback casts doubt on his chances of repeating his previous victory in the Americas.
Another eye-catching development was Fabio Quartararo’s performance with the factory Yamaha, as he secured a front-row position. The 2021 Doha GP winner led the timesheets with just over a minute remaining in the session, only to be overtaken shortly thereafter by the Marquez siblings.
Following them, the consistent performance of the VR46 Ducatis continued, with Franco Morbidelli taking fourth place, closely followed by Fabio di Giannantonio in fifth. Maverick Vinales, representing Tech 3, rounded out the second row, marking him as the highest-placed KTM rider.
The third row will feature Johann Zarco from LCR Honda, Fermin Aldeguer of Gresini Ducati, and Quartararo’s teammate Alex Rins.
Ai Ogura, the rookie from Trackhouse, emerged as the standout performer for Aprilia, qualifying 10th and outpacing Bagnaia. Meanwhile, factory KTM’s Pedro Acosta struggled during the session, finishing 12th.
Earlier, Ogura demonstrated his prowess in Q1, achieving a remarkable performance that easily secured his advancement to Q2. His initial fast lap placed him comfortably ahead of the competition and he further improved upon it, finishing with a time of 1m51.104s, leaving Rins 0.408s behind him.
On the other hand, Aprilia faced challenges, with Marco Bezzecchi being the fastest to miss Q2, yet still performing better than his teammate Jorge Martin, who made a notable return after injury but managed only 14th on the grid. Martin had a challenging session, battling with mistakes that limited his chances to post a faster time.
Luca Marini will begin the race from 15th, while the day was particularly tough for the factory Honda team, with teammate Joan Mir qualifying in a lowly 21st position, just ahead of Somkiat Chantra, who starts from the very back.
Jack Miller, currently feeling under the weather, will start 16th after a difficult practice session that saw him fall off his Pramac Yamaha twice. Additionally, Brad Binder, racing for factory KTM, will start from 18th, marking a disappointing outcome for the southern hemisphere rider.
Qatar GP Q1 Results
Qatar GP Q2 Results
Source
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