MotoGP qualifying results as Marc Marquez beats Johann Zarco for Spanish Grand Prix pole

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Ducati rider Marc Marquez beat LCR Honda star Johann Zarco to get pole position for the 2026 MotoGP Spanish Grand Prix in a wet qualifying session at Jerez on Saturday.

After practice on Friday, Ducati rider Marc Marquez admitted he is “struggling” for single-lap speed at Jerez after lapping half a second off Alex Marquez’s pace. But a quick downpour of rain before the final practice session was an equaliser, and Marc emerged as the top Ducati.

Going through Q1 in qualifying for the Spanish GP also helped wet-weather specialist Zarco to produce what proved to be a two-man battle for pole position at Jerez. But a moment at the very end of the session cost Zarco his chance to threaten Marquez’s pole position time.

Marquez had also been very smart during Q2 to lose his followers, as he took to the pit lane when most rival riders sought new tyres but immediately returned to the circuit. VR46 rider Fabio Di Giannantonio had followed Marquez into the pits, but he elected to take new tyres.

Marc Marquez takes pole at the Spanish Grand Prix! Will he secure his first Grand Prix victory of 2026 on Sunday?! 🇪🇸

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Marc Marquez scores pole position for the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez

Gresini rider Alex Marquez led a train of riders during the first laps in Q2, but the pace setter on Friday at Jerez did not have the speed of his brother Marc on a damp track. Marc quickly dispatched Alex to take over the lead of the train, but it was Pedro Acosta setting the pace.

KTM ace Acosta utilised coming through Q1 and learning the conditions to usurp Marc’s first lap time by 0.100s, but the Ducati racer responded with his second effort whilst his Spanish compatriot backed out. Acosta lifting off also saw Gresini’s Fermin Aldeguer crash at Turn 8.

Aldeguer dropped his Ducati GP25 into the gravel at Turn 8 after Acosta sitting on the inside line caught his eye. Gresini teammate Alex Marquez also soon crashed at Turn 9 as he tried to follow his elder brother Marc, as the factory Ducati pilot continued to find more lap time.

Marc Marquez built a 0.572s margin over Acosta’s fastest preliminary lap for second, before most riders returned to the pit lane for new tyres. As the track conditions also continued to improve, LCR rider Johann Zarco started to show some speed and went 0.237s clear in first.

Zarco even pulled a 0.635s margin over Marquez before the Ducati rider started his second run. But Marquez was not done, and he started his response with new overall fastest times through all four sectors to jump above Zarco by 0.140s with what proved to be his last lap.

Fortune was not with Aprilia rider Jorge Martin, though, as the 2024 riders’ champion fell at Turn 1 as he tried to build on a promising start to his qualifying session at the Spanish GP. Martin sat in fourth place at the start of his second run, but he lost the front under braking.

Crashing at Turn 1 quickly pushed Martin down the order, as VR46’s Fabio Di Giannantonio, Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi and Gresini’s Alex Marquez all found more lap time. But the man taking it to Marc was Zarco, who had to settle for second after a moment at the last corner.

Jorge Martin gets a three-place grid penalty for the Spanish Grand Prix – Can he still get a podium at Jerez?

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Johann Zarco and Pedro Acosta advance from Q1 in qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix

KTM rider Pedro Acosta carried the best momentum into Q1, as the track surface started to dry, having topped the final practice session at the Spanish Grand Prix with a 1:48.862. The Murcian even beat Cervera native Marc Marquez to top the FP2 timesheet by half a second.

Acosta used his momentum from practice to set the fastest lap amid the early flying efforts during Q1, too, just before more spots of rain started to fall around Jerez again. As the track conditions remained mixed, wet-weather specialist LCR star Johann Zarco also found speed.

Momentum was not with Franco Morbidelli at the start of Q1, as the VR46 star was the first rider to crash in qualifying for the Spanish GP. The Italian took a tumble at Turn 6 without a lap time on the board, and the same fate also befell Pramac’s Jack Miller at the final corner.

Miller’s crash cost Zarco his first flying effort, but the Frenchman continued to circulate and he rose to the top of the timesheet as most riders opted to return to the pits. Zarco’s times continuing to improve also built a one-second window over Acosta before the second runs.

New tyres on his KTM RC16 quickly helped Acosta to reduce his deficit to Zarco to 0.086s at the start of the second runs. Honda’s Luca Marini did not enjoy as much success at the start of his second run, having been quick during the early efforts during Q1, as he fell at Turn 13.

Miller’s problems also continued to persist during Q1 when he returned to the track, as the Australian would not post a flying lap time due to the ride-height device on his Yamaha M1 getting stuck whilst engaged. LCR’s Diogo Moreira also failed to set a time after he crashed.

In the end, no riders would get near the 1:48.267 that Zarco set or the 1:48.353 that Acosta recorded to advance to Q2. The LCR and KTM riders topped the timesheet in Q1 by one full second over KTM ace Brad Binder in third, ahead of the Honda duo of Joan Mir and Marini.

Issues also befell Morbidelli again after the chequered flag, as the VR46 ace returned to the pit lane with smoke leaving his Ducati Desmosedici GP25. Race control elected to delay the start of Q2 to check the track conditions at Turns 9 and 10 as a result of Morbidelli’s issues.

Full 2026 MotoGP Spanish Grand Prix qualifying results at Jerez