MotoGP, Sportrik Media - Marc Marquez ended his pole position drought stretching back to August last year by securing pole at the 2026 Spanish MotoGP in Jerez, in challenging wet conditions.
The Ducati Lenovo Team rider emerged as a consistent contender throughout qualifying as mixed conditions reshaped the competitive order. After being significantly behind Alex Marquez in dry conditions on Friday, the shift to a half-wet track played to Marc Marquez’s strengths.
The decisive battle came against Johann Zarco of LCR Honda, who briefly claimed provisional pole with five minutes remaining. Marquez responded with a fast lap despite making a mistake at the final corner.
Zarco’s final attempt ultimately proved decisive. Pushing to reclaim pole, he lost time with a mistake at the hairpin, allowing Marquez to retain the top position by 0.140 seconds.
“Qualifying is not my strongest point, but in half-wet conditions I usually feel comfortable. Today was not the best feeling, but I was still able to be fast,” Marquez said.
“I thought Johann would beat me on the last lap because I made a mistake in the final corner. But he made an even bigger mistake, so I’m happy with the pole,” he added.
Zarco acknowledged that the overnight rain played in his favor, although he needed time to build confidence during the session, particularly after progressing through Q1.
“I slept well after hearing the rain last night. At the start of FP2 I wasn’t as fast as expected, but in Q1, when the track was drier, I gained confidence,” Zarco explained.
The front row is completed by Fabio di Giannantonio of the VR46 Racing Team, despite being over one second off pole. He credited setup changes and tyre strategy for improving performance in difficult conditions.
Championship leader Marco Bezzecchi will start fourth, while his closest rival Jorge Martin is set to line up seventh but faces a three-place grid penalty for the main race.
The qualifying session highlighted the importance of adaptability in variable conditions, where small errors proved decisive. Marquez’s pole position provides a strategic advantage heading into both the sprint and the main race. Source: Crash.net
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Marc Marquez leads the 2026 Jerez MotoGP Sprint grid after wet qualifying, ahead of Zarco and Di Giannantonio.
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