A thrilling qualifying session delivered plenty of drama and blistering lap times, with several riders breaking the circuit’s previous lap record. Q1 provided important signals from Fabio Quartararo, Franco Morbidelli, Alex Marquez—returning after the injury he suffered at this very circuit—and Jorge Martin, who will have to serve two long-lap penalties during the race. Morbidelli also benefited from minor setup changes that appeared to improve his performance.
Q1 was dominated by Martin and Morbidelli, both producing impressive laps. The Spaniard stopped the clock at 1:51.082, while the Italian finished just over two tenths behind, confirming his strong form.
As qualifying reached its decisive stage, Ai Ogura was the first rider to set a benchmark lap, followed by Marco Bezzecchi with Pedro Acosta close behind. Marc Marquez immediately pushed his Ducati to the limit, as did teammate Francesco Bagnaia, but it was Raul Fernandez who initially emerged as the fastest rider on track.
Lap times continued to tumble as the session progressed. Marquez and Bagnaia briefly traded the top spot before being displaced by Fernandez. Then Fabio Di Giannantonio arrived with an impressive 1:51.6, reigniting the battle for pole position. In the opening sector, nearly every rider was setting purple sectors, and eight competitors managed to dip into the 1:51 range, effectively establishing a new benchmark for the circuit.
Behind Di Giannantonio, Moreira temporarily moved into second place, showing excellent pace before losing time in the fourth sector. The drama intensified when Marc Marquez’s best lap was deleted for exceeding track limits. With just six minutes remaining, the Spaniard suddenly found himself without a valid lap time.
In the final four minutes, Bagnaia responded like a champion, producing a superb lap that briefly earned him the circuit record and the top spot. However, his celebration was short-lived. Ai Ogura delivered an outstanding 1:51.100 lap, lowering the circuit record once again and securing first place.
Fabio Di Giannantonio finished second, while Bagnaia claimed third with a strong late effort that allowed him to move ahead of Bezzecchi . Marc Marquez completed the top five, overcoming his track-limits penalty to remain among the frontrunners in one of the most competitive qualifying sessions of the season.