Factory Ducati rider Marc Marquez claimed pole position at the Chang International Circuit for the 2025 MotoGP season opener.
The eight-time champion kicked off his newest chapter with the Bologna marque in the best possible way. The Spaniard’s lap time of 1.28.782s at the start of the session proved unbeatable.
His younger brother Alex Marquez qualified in second place as both continued their dominant showings in testing and at the race weekend itself.
Francesco Bagnaia was forced to settle for third despite lapping half a second quicker around this very track in October of the previous year.
The Italian was forced to enter Q1 after his final run in second practice was impeded by Franco Morbidelli but made light work of the field and secured the final place on the front row.
Jack Miller produced a stunning lap, albeit with a tow from the back of Bagnaia’s panigale, to end in fourth position.
This performance showed the tenacity of both the Australian and the Japanese marque, who showcased great improvements to its bike after a torrid 2024 campaign.
Debutant and Moto2 champion Ai Ogura impressed and will begin both races in the middle of the second row, completing an impressive fifth place finish for Trackhouse Racing.
Morbidelli starts ninth following his grid penalty verdict though qualified sixth, but his demotion saw the promotion of Pedro Acosta who produced an impressive display after originally qualifying in seventh place.
The second Trackhouse rider, Raul Fernandez and the factory Aprilia rider Marco Bezzecchi set competitive lap times aboard their respective RS-GPs to claim seventh and eighth, respectively.
However, Bezzecchi was part of the chaos in the final minutes, as he and Joan Mir both lost the front at Turn 3 on separate runs.
Fabio Quartararo completed tenth place for Yamaha, and Mir finished in hot pursuit. Johann Zarco qualified two tenths down the road on his Japanese counterpart.
Ahead of Q2, all manufacturers on the grid have secured spots in the top ten from yesterday’s sessions at the 2025 MotoGP season opener.
When this occurs, there is no better advert for the sport. Fabio Di Giannantonio was the closest rider to progress through the first phase.
Di Giannantonio’s time was marginally half a tenth off Miller, who posted an impressive lap to establish two Yamaha riders in the second stage.
Brad Binder’s 2025 campaign will see him start in 14th place after a disappointing Q1 outing. The final stages of the session saw his lap time edge out debutant and Gresini Ducati rider Fermin Aldeguer.
Luca Marini bagged 16th place and lapped faster than the second Pramac Yamaha rider of Miguel Oliveira, who had to cancel his rapid final run due to running wide at Turn 4.
KTMs satellite team Tech3 established 18th and 20th place qualifications spots as both riders continue their acclimation to the demands of the RC16.
Despite finishing 19th between the Austrian marques, Alex Rins finished half a second adrift off a Q2 spot, showcasing the close competition from all manufactures.
Somkiat Chantra struggled in his debut outing in front of his home fans as he qualified in second last, but still finished ahead of Aprilia test and development rider Lorenzo Savadori.
