Marco Bezzecchi pips world champion Marc Marquez to pole position for Grand Prix Aragon before Sprint

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Marco Bezzecchi went fastest in the qualifying session at Grand Prix Aragon on Saturday morning as he looks to get back in the mix for the 2026 MotoGP world title, with the Italian looking back to his best form.

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Video credit: TNT Sports

The Aprilia rider is aiming to whittle away the lead of his team-mate Jorge Martin at the top of the table over the course of the weekend.

Martin leads the way in the campaign for the 2026 MotoGP world championship, on 240 points, while Bezzecchi has 209.

Martin was fifth quickest, meaning he will start the Sprint and Sunday’s full-length race, both shown live with TNT Sports on HBO Max, on the second row.

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Martin is a former world champion and is in his final season with Aprilia after a dreadful debut campaign, which at one point saw him attempt to leave the factory team a year early.

However, a strong showing this weekend could leave him as the standout favourite for this year’s championship.

Marc Marquez arrived in Spain as one of the riders tipped for success by TNT Sports pundit Neil Hodgson in his column on Friday and the Ducati rider was second fastest on the day.

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Marquez spent much of the first half of the season injured or unable to ride to his full potential but he is now in fourth spot in the title after a storming comeback, and remains a credible challenger. He is on 200 points in fourth place in the standings.

Trackhouse GP’s Ai Ogura is third in the chase for the title on 203 points but a hand injury means that he is unable to race this weekend.

Behind Marquez on the grid was his younger brother, BK8 Gresini rider Alex, in third. Raul Fernandez of Trackhouse GP was fourth fastest.

KTM rider Pedro Acosta is set to join Ducati’s factory team next season and he impressed again, hauling his KTM bike to sixth fastest, before VR46 rider Fabio Di Giannantonio in the next grid.

Marquez’s current Ducati team-mate, Francesco Bagnaia, battled out of Q1 and then secured eighth spot as he looks to salvage something from his second underwhelming season.

There was another strong showing for Honda’s Johan Zarco, who has stepped back in ahead of Cal Crutchlow after recovering from injury at Grand Prix Barcelona in May.

His stable-mate Diogo Moreira is next, followed by Fermin Aldeguer of BK8 Gresini, and then Franco Morbidelli of VR46 in 12th spot.

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