BEZZECCHI TAKES POLE WITH A RECORD LAP AT MUGELLO
Marco Bezzecchi delivered a brilliant qualifying performance at Mugello and took pole position with a new lap record. The Championship leader became the first rider to lap the famous Italian circuit in the 1:43s, setting a stunning time of 1:43.921.
It was Bezzecchi’s first pole position since Buriram, and it came at the perfect time in front of the Italian fans. Raul Fernandez qualified second after coming through Q1, while Jorge Martin completed the front row in third.
Before the fight for pole, Q1 already had plenty of pressure. Pedro Acosta, Ai Ogura and Raul Fernandez were all fighting for only two places in Q2. Acosta set a strong early time of 1:44.765, but Fernandez improved late in the session and moved ahead.
Ogura looked fast and had several strong sectors, but he could not put the full lap together. In the end, he missed out by just 0.087 seconds. That meant Fernandez and Acosta moved into Q2, while Ogura was left disappointed.
When Q2 began, the riders wasted no time. Francesco Bagnaia led a group of riders onto their first flying laps, with Marc Marquez close behind him. But the first big lap came from Jorge Martin, who set a 1:44.284. That time was very close to the old all-time lap record.
At the halfway point, the Aprilia riders were in control. Martin was leading, with Fernandez and Bezzecchi also near the top. It was already clear that the fight for pole would be very close.
On the second runs, Bagnaia went out on his own and tried to improve. He was only tenth at that moment and needed a strong lap. Many riders were also improving, and the timing screens started to light up with red sectors.
Then Bezzecchi produced the lap of the session. He put everything together and crossed the line with a 1:43.921. It was the first-ever 1:43 lap on a MotoGP bike at Mugello, and it gave him a lead of more than two tenths.
There was still time for others to respond. Marc Marquez looked fast and was up on Bezzecchi’s time during the lap, but he lost momentum after catching Acosta. He could not reach the front row and had to settle for fourth.
Nobody was able to beat Bezzecchi. His lap was simply too strong. Fernandez took an excellent second place, while Martin finished third, 0.363 seconds behind Bezzecchi.
Marquez will start from fourth after a strong comeback. Fermin Aldeguer qualified fifth, his best grid result since his Grand Prix-winning weekend in Indonesia. Bagnaia recovered to sixth for his home race.
Fabio Di Giannantonio finished seventh after struggling to put together a perfect lap. Diogo Moreira impressed again by qualifying eighth, his best MotoGP qualifying result so far. He also became the first Brazilian rider since Alex Barros in 2007 to qualify inside the top ten.
Franco Morbidelli finished ninth, while Acosta completed the top ten. Enea Bastianini and Alex Rins ended Q2 in 11th and 12th.
The story of qualifying, however, belonged to Bezzecchi. A home pole, a new lap record, and a historic first 1:43 lap at Mugello made it a masterclass from the Championship leader.
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