Despite a late crash at Turn 12, Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) will start the opening round of the 2026 MotoGP season from pole position, but it wasn’t as comfortable as he and Aprilia would have liked, as Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) lurked just 0.035s away in Q2. A 1:28.652 for Bezzecchi just outplayed a 1:28.687 for the reigning World Champion, as Q1 table-topper Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) earned a front row start in P3 to make it two Aprilias vs one Ducati at the front of the grid.
Q1: Pecco out as Fernandez and Morbidelli enter pole position frame
And so, it was time. The first MotoGP qualifying session of the 2026 campaign fired into life and after the opening set of flying laps, it was Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) who led second place Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) by a very healthy 0.3s, thanks to the 2025 Australian GP winner’s 1:28.784.
This meant Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), who was P3 in the opening half of the 15-minute dash, had work to do. And after his first attack on the second outing didn’t arrive, and neither did the second attempt, the double MotoGP World Champion was up against it with three minutes left.
Then, while 0.001s away from Fernandez’s time, a mistake came on the exit of Turn 8, meaning – if tyres and fuel load allowed – he’d have one more lap to try and penetrate the top two. A red sector was set again in Sector 1, but it was session over for Pecco. The Italian sat up and out of the lap, meaning the #63 will start the Tissot Sprint and Grand Prix from P13, as compatriot Morbidelli crashed down at Turn 3, which in the end, didn’t cost the Italian a place in Q2.
Q2: Bezzecchi vs Marc Marquez unfolds as 0.4s covers the top seven
The big question coming into the pole position shootout was could anyone halt Bezzecchi’s brilliant Buriram momentum? The reigning World Champion, Marc Marquez, would certainly be a chief contender in trying to stop him, but it was a scruffy opening lap from the #93, as the Aprilia Racing duo sailed to an early top two. Bezzecchi set a 1:28.914, with teammate Martin just 0.087s away.
This was all going to change very quickly though. Marc Marquez improved but it was nowhere near enough for P1, as Acosta – shadowing the 2025 title winner – got down to a 1:29.063 for P4.
Getting down to it was Bezzecchi again. The pre-qualifying favourite improved his time to bang in a 1:28.652, with Fernandez stretching his legs to leap up to P3 to make it an Aprilia 1-2-3 in Q2. Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) and Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) were currently behind Acosta on the second row, meaning Marc Marquez had a mini mountain to climb from provisional P7.
That then got worse with Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) moving up to P6, as we strapped in for the final four minutes of a fantastic Q2.
In true Marc Marquez style, the shovel was out, and he was digging deep when it mattered most. Three red sectors were slammed in before the 99-time Grand Prix winner lost a small amount of margin in Sector 4, meaning it was P2 for the Ducati star. 0.035s the gap to Bezzecchi, and with Di Giannantonio improving to P4, Martin was now shuffled down to P5 on his factory RS-GP.
Turn 12, while pushing to increase his advantage, then caught out Bezzecchi. The front end cried no more as the #72 hit the deck at the final corner, but in the end, it didn’t matter. No more big moves were made in the chase for pole position in Thailand, so the much-wanted P1 grid slot was the Italian’s and Bezzecchi’s for Round 1 – but only just.
YOUR GRID FOR ROUND 1
Pole goes to Bez, but Marc Marquez is right there in P2 after a stunning late Q2 lap. Fernandez makes it two Aprilias on the front row, a lovely pair of short morning stints for the #25, as Di Giannantonio fronts the second row ahead of Martin – who claims his first top 10 in qualifying with Aprilia – and Acosta.
It’s P6 for the lead KTM star in qualifying, while Alex Marquez is forced to settle for a disappointing P7 in Q2. Eighth and ninth – the middle and outside of the third row – go to Ogura and Morbidelli, with Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol), Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), and Johann Zarco (Castrol Honda LCR) set to launch from P10, P11 and P12, respectively.
COMING UP: SPRINT TIME
0.8s split the top 12 in a blistering Q2, and now it’s time to get ready for the Tissot Sprint. 15:00 local time. You know the score. And if you don’t, then get ready for one hell of a ride. Let’s go racing in 2026, shall we?