MotoGP qualifying results as Fabio Di Giannantonio scores Brazilian Grand Prix pole and Francesco Bagnaia crashes

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VR46’s Fabio Di Giannantonio took pole position for the 2026 MotoGP Brazilian Grand Prix, as riders including Francesco Bagnaia crashed during qualifying in Goiania.

Aprilia rider Marco Bezzecchi had to go through Q1 on Saturday after he failed to set a quick time in Friday’s rain-affected practice session. But it did not take the Italian long to get up to speed, as the 27-year-old laid down an early marker in Q1 and he carried his speed into Q2.

Di Giannantonio joined Bezzecchi in progressing from Q1, and the VR46 rider utilised getting some extra track time to go on to score pole for the first Brazilian GP since 1992. He denied Bezzecchi by just 0.070s, after posting a 1:17.410 lap around Goiania to the Italian’s 1:17.48.

From Q1 to P1, Fabio Di Giannantonio is on POLE

It's just his second pole in the premier class

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Fabio Di Giannantonio scores pole position for the 2026 MotoGP Brazilian Grand Prix

Ducati rider Bagnaia paid the price for trying to push the limits in the early stages of Q2 this Saturday, as the two-time MotoGP champion crashed at Turn 9. Bagnaia just tried taking too much speed through the left-hand kink, and he then visited the gravel trap as a result.

READ MORE: All you need to know about the Brazilian Grand Prix, including Goiania stats

KTM’s Pedro Acosta was the next rider to find the gravel, as the Spaniard fell at Turn 4 after tucking the front tyre. He was not the last rider to crash at T4, either, as Marc Marquez put his Ducati GP26 in the gravel trap moments later by trying to force the front end to turn in.

Marquez was able to set a lap time before he crashed, which left the seven-time champion second in the timesheets behind VR46’s Di Giannantonio by just 0.071s. But it was not fast enough to stop Bezzecchi from slotting his Aprilia above Marquez to begin the second runs.

Jorge Martin showed the Aprilia RS-GP had a lot of pace around Goiania, as well, as he rose to P4 entering the closing stages. But the 2024 MotoGP champion overstepped the limits in the final minutes and crashed, shortly before Di Giannantonio also joined the list of fallers.

While Maritn and Di Giannantonio dusted themselves down, Fabio Quartararo was starting to put on a show on the Yamaha M1. In classic Quartararo style, the 2021 champion made his bike flow around Goiania to climb up into fourth place during the final seconds of qualifying.

Pramac rider Toprak Razgatlioglu featured in Q2 for the first time as a MotoGP rider in Brazil, after setting the third-fastest lap time during Friday’s rain-affected practice session. But the deficits of the Yamaha ultimately saw the three-time World Superbike champion finish P12.

Marco Bezzecchi advanced from Q1 as Jack Miller and the KTM riders struggled in Goiania

Aprilia rider Bezzecchi set the pace during Q1 ahead of VR46 racer Di Giannantonio by 0.123 seconds, as the pair earned progression through to Q2 in Brazil. Bezzecchi was not flawless during the first stage of qualifying, but he had more than enough pace to top the timesheet.

Honda rider Joan Mir and LCR rookie Diogo Moreira fought for progression through to Q2 in Brazil, but ultimately fell 0.179s and 0.281s shy of Di Giannantonio’s lap time. Their deficits meant LCR’s Johann Zarco was the only Honda rider to feature in Q2 in Brazil this Saturday.

Moreira’s dirt track style with his forward body lean helped the LCR rookie to pick his Honda up early and carry speed around Goiania. But while he found early pace in Q1, a tiny error at the Turn 10-11 chicane ruined his penultimate lap, along with costing Mir a heap of lap time.

Luca Marini endured an uncharacteristic day at the Brazilian GP this Saturday, as he followed a crash during practice with an early crash at Turn 4 during Q1. The Honda rider is renowned for his reliability but Goiania’s tricky conditions, particularly at T4, caught him out, like many.

Pramac rider Jack Miller finished qualifying for the 2026 Brazilian GP towards the bottom of the timesheet after a late crash during Q1. The Australian fell after folding the front tyre on his Yamaha M1 midway through Turn 1, but walked away after a tumble through the gravel.

The only riders to fare worse than Miller during qualifying for the Brazilian GP were Marini and the trio of racers using the KTM RC16. Neither Maverick Vinales, Brad Binder nor Enea Bastianini made the RC16 work for Goiania’s tricky conditions during qualifying on Saturday.

Full 2026 MotoGP Brazilian Grand Prix qualifying results