Jorge Martin clinched pole position for the MotoGP Austrian Grand Prix by a mere 0.015 seconds over championship leader Marc Marquez in a thrilling qualifying session at the Red Bull Ring. The Aprilia rider's lap of 1m27.917s proved decisive, giving him a crucial early advantage in their tight championship battle.
Starting the weekend level on points, Martin and Marquez engaged in a tense duel throughout Q2. Martin, who had topped Friday practice, saved his best for the final minutes, fitting a new soft rear tyre and unleashing a blistering pace. Marquez responded but fell just short, with his 1m27.932s leaving him second on the grid. The pair's rivalry is set to intensify as they fight for supremacy in the title race.
Pedro Acosta, the favourite after Friday's practice, had to settle for third. The KTM rider briefly held provisional pole with a 1m28.328s but couldn't match the late improvements from Martin and Marquez. His gap of 0.071s to pole highlights the razor-thin margins at the front. Marco Bezzecchi completed the second row in fourth, while Ai Ogura impressed with fifth on the Trackhouse Aprilia.
Alex Marquez crashed at Turn 1 late in the session, relegating him to sixth. Pecco Bagnaia, who came through Q1, salvaged seventh on the factory Ducati, followed by Fabio Di Giannantonio and Fabio Quartararo. Johann Zarco rounded out the top ten on the LCR Honda, also advancing from Q1. Brad Binder and Fermin Aldeguer completed the top 12.
Raul Fernandez's difficult weekend continued as he missed out on Q2 by 0.118s, qualifying 13th. It marks his worst qualifying since the French Grand Prix. Pol Espargaro was 14th on the Tech3 KTM, ahead of Luca Marini and Diogo Moreira. Enea Bastianini could only manage 17th on the sister Tech3 KTM, with Takaaki Nakagami 18th. Franco Morbidelli and the Yamaha trio of Alex Rins, Jack Miller, and Toprak Razgatlioglu completed the order.
With Martin's pole, the stage is set for a fierce battle in Sunday's race. The Austrian GP promises high drama as Martin aims to reclaim the championship lead, while Marquez looks to defend his advantage. Fans can expect a nail-biting contest at the Red Bull Ring.
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Jorge Martin takes pole for Austrian MotoGP, beating Marc Marquez and Pedro Acosta. Full qualifying results and story.
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