Marc Marquez beats Zarco to take Spanish GP pole in wet session
· Yahoo Sports
Marc Marquez took pole for the 2026 MotoGP Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez on Saturday, edging out Johann Zarco in a wet qualifying session.
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It was another big moment for the Honda star who became the youngest ever world champion last season when he secured the title in a dramatic final race against Pedro Acosta and Francesco Bagnaia.
The wet conditions at Jerez played into Marquez’s hands, levelling the field after he’d struggled with one-lap pace earlier in practice. While there were no drastic changes to his bike setup overnight, he made use of time on worn tyres, which paid off as track conditions changed ahead of Q2. But it wasn’t just the weather that worked in his favour. With everyone heading out early on slicks before switching to wets, Marc stayed patient and used that window to put together a strong lap when the track started drying up.
Marc Marquez earns Spanish Grand Prix pole at Jerez for 2026 MotoGP
Photo by Klaus Pressberger/SEPA.Media /Getty ImagesAlex Marquez led the early laps in Q2, but the wet track didn’t play to his strengths the way it did on Friday. His brother Marc quickly moved ahead, though it was Pedro Acosta who initially set the pace.
Acosta benefited from coming through Q1 and managed to top Marc’s opening lap by a tenth, but Marc hit back straight away. Around that time, Fermin Aldeguer went down at Turn 8 after Acosta’s line caught his attention.
Moments later, Alex Marquez also crashed at Turn 9 while chasing his brother, as Marc kept finding improvements. The elder Marquez stretched his lead over Acosta to more than half a second before most riders headed in for new tyres.
As conditions improved, Johann Zarco found some pace and moved clear by just under a quarter of a second. Zarco even pulled out a margin of over six-tenths before Marc began his final run.
But it didn’t take long for Marquez to respond, posting purple sectors across the board and grabbing pole by just over a tenth with what turned out to be his final lap.
Jorge Martin wasn’t as lucky. The Aprilia rider crashed at Turn 1 while trying to build on what had been a decent start.
Zarco and Acosta Progress from Q1 in 2026 Spanish Grand Prix Qualifying
Pedro Acosta was quick out of the gates in Q1, carrying over momentum from practice where he topped the final session with a 1:48.862. The Murcian had already shown good pace by edging out Marc Marquez by half a second in FP2.
Acosta used that rhythm to set the early benchmark in Q1 before another spell of rain rolled in. As conditions remained tricky, LCR’s Johann Zarco also found his footing, showcasing why he’s known for excelling when it gets slippery.
Franco Morbidelli didn’t have much luck early on, crashing at Turn 6 before registering a lap time. Pramac’s Jack Miller went down at the final corner soon after.
Miller’s incident cost Zarco his first flying lap, but the Frenchman kept circulating and climbed to the top of the timesheets as most riders headed back to the pits. By then, Zarco had stretched his lead over Acosta to one second.
Acosta closed that gap quickly once he switched to fresh tyres on his KTM RC16, cutting it down to just 0.086s early in the second runs. Meanwhile, Honda’s Luca Marini crashed at Turn 13 during his own push for improvement.
Miller couldn’t catch a break either; even after returning to track action, an issue with his Yamaha M1’s ride-height device left him unable to set a flying lap time. LCR rookie Diogo Moreira also failed to post a time after crashing out early.
No one came close to matching Zarco’s best effort of 1:48.267 or Acosta’s 1:48.353 during Q1 as both riders comfortably advanced into Q2. They finished well clear of Brad Binder in third and Honda teammates Joan Mir and Luca Marini behind him.
Morbidelli encountered further trouble post-session when smoke began billowing from his Ducati GP25 as he returned to pit lane. This prompted race control to delay the start of Q2 while they inspected track conditions between Turns 9 and 10.
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