Acosta Leads Catalunya MotoGP Grid After Barcelona Pole

Pedro Acosta will start the 2026 Catalunya MotoGP from pole position as the KTM rider continues his pursuit of a long-awaited maiden premier-class victory.

Acosta secured pole after a strong weekend in Barcelona and now faces major pressure from Alex Marquez, who won last year’s Catalunya Grand Prix and defeated Acosta by just 0.041 seconds in Saturday’s Sprint race.

Franco Morbidelli emerged as the biggest surprise of qualifying after the VR46 Ducati rider topped Q1 and secured his best starting position of the season on the front row.

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From a technical perspective, KTM’s performance in Barcelona highlighted major improvements in braking stability and slow-corner traction, two critical areas at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya which is traditionally known for heavy tyre degradation.

Raul Fernandez qualified as the leading Aprilia rider in fourth position and will line up alongside Johann Zarco and Fabio di Giannantonio on the second row.

Fabio Quartararo continued Yamaha V4’s positive momentum by securing seventh on the grid ahead of Brad Binder and Jorge Martin.

Martin and fellow Aprilia Racing rider Marco Bezzecchi both crashed during qualifying. Martin then made another mistake in the Sprint race but still trails Bezzecchi by only two points in the championship standings.

Bezzecchi himself will start only 12th on the grid behind Pramac Yamaha rider Jack Miller.

Pecco Bagnaia endured another difficult qualifying session after failing to progress through Q1 and will line up 13th for Ducati Lenovo.

Maverick Vinales begins his first grand prix since Brazil from 17th position, while WorldSBK champion Toprak Razgatlioglu starts from the back of the grid following a Q1 crash.

Reigning world champion Marc Marquez is absent this weekend following shoulder and foot surgery, leaving Bagnaia as Ducati Lenovo’s sole representative in Barcelona.