Marco Bezzecchi quickest as Aprilia lock out Grand Prix Italy front row in qualifying, Marc Marquez fourth fastest

The Italian leads the world championship in his Aprilia but he struggled at the last race weekend at Grand Prix Catalunya, as did his team-mate Jorge Martin, who is second in the overall standings.

Martin finished third quickest as the former world champion sealed a front-row grid start for both riders of the factory team.

The pair sandwiched another Aprilia rider, Trackhouse’s Raul Fernandez, who had a blistering two sessions after he secured promotion from the earlier Q1 following an underwhelming performance in Practice on Friday afternoon.

The quickest rider for the Ducati setup was Marc Marquez, who is making his way back from full fitness after breaking a metatarsal and also having a broken screw removed from his shoulder, which had forced him to miss Grand Prix Catalunya.

Marquez has declared himself out of the running for this year’s world championship despite carrying the title into the new season after a seventh MotoGP title win in 2025.

He was injured in October last year, forcing him to undergo shoulder surgery, but in 2026 he has looked well off the pace and has said that a broken screw in his shoulder had caused him to lose strength, which impeded his usually strong turning abilities.

Ducati satellite team BK8 Gresini provided the fifth-fastest bike of the day, which was ridden by Fermin Aldegeur.

Marquez’s team-mate Francesco Bagnaia was sixth quickest meaning the entire second row for Saturday’s Sprint race and Sunday’s full-length event - both to be shown live on TNT Sports and HBO Max - is from Aprilia’s biggest rivals, Ducati.

Fabio Di Giannantonio had been quickest for much of the weekend before qualifying but his best time in qualifying was only good enough to secure him seventh spot, as he looks to close in on Bezzecchi and Martin above him in the race for the title.

Honda's quickest rider of the session was Diogo Moreira, who was in eighth spot, one place clear of VR46 man Frankie Morbidelli.

Pedro Acosta for KTM was 10th before the coming races over the rest of the weekend.

Bezzecchi leads the championship standings for the 2026 title with three wins and five podiums for 142 points, while Martin has one win and three podiums for 127. 

On 116 points is Di Giannantonio, with Pedro Acosta on 92 in fourth. Marquez is well down in ninth, without a podium or win to his name so far in the current season.

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