MotoGP News: Quartararo nips Marquez for pole at Jerez

Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo broke Ducati’s long stranglehold on MotoGP pole positions by going fastest in Saturday’s qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez.

However, don’t expect it to last long as the Ducatis will ultimately overwhelm him in the race.

A packed Jerez circuit witnessed a heavyweight fight for pole position as the fifth round of MotoGP in 2025 plays out.

After a dramatic FP2 session, all the riders were out to make amends. Come the final front row at the checkered flag, 2021 World Champion Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) set a scorching pace to snatch pole away from Marc Marquez.

It was a new lap record.

Marquez’s factory Ducati teammate Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) will start 3rd.

A blistering opening lap saw Marc Marquez set a new lap record behind his brother Alex, with a 1’35.643 being his first attempt.

Behind the Marquez brothers, Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) was right there too, ahead of Quartararo, Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) after a fast crash in FP2 at Turn 7 and Q1 graduate Viñales.

However, the final five minutes would come alive and be the determining factor for the grid.

This time, it was Marc who lead his brother Alex around the track but the #93 was in a class of his own, as he stormed around the lap but lost time in the final sector and thus was unable to better his first stint benchmark.

One rider could though: Quartararo. The #20 was putting in some of his best qualifying laps for some time and on his final flying lap, set a new lap record himself to deny Marc a home pole.

For the first time since Mandalika 2022, Yamaha and Quartararo were on pole, his fifth at Jerez – the scene of his first pole in 2019 and first MotoGP win in 2020. With Marc Marquez  forced into P2, Pecco emerged onto the front row in P3.

Jerez MotoGP Qualifying Results

* Rookie