1.494s. The biggest pole position margin since the 2019 Czech Grand Prix. It was Marc Marquez back then, and despite a Turn 4 crash, the Ducati Lenovo Team star took pole again today as the reigning World Champion sailed to a phenomenal Saturday morning P1 on a damp, tricky Phillip Island. Running the #93 closest in a Q2 thriller was Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP), and 1.503s away from Marc Marquez’s 1:34.203 in P3 was Q1 graduate Johann Zarco (Castrol Honda LCR) as World Championship leader Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing) spearheads the second row ahead of an unmissable Tissot Sprint in Australia.
Q1: AUSSIE, AUSSIE, AUSSIE & A FRENCHMAN
On a damp but drying Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, Zarco set the initial benchmark time, leading home hero Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP) by 0.620s. Zarco’s time was the best of the day straight out of the gate, a 1:36.557, with Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) an early P3. The gap to the Q2 promotion places was 0.6s for the Italian though, before Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) moved into P3, 0.4s shy of Miller’s top two effort.
That changed again though when Pecco got to within two tenths of Miller on his next flyer, and then another improvement saw the double MotoGP World Champion shove Miller out of the top two. A flurry of fast times were then fired in though as Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), then Miller, flew to P1, before Zarco then improved again to shuffle the South African back out of the top two.
And so it was, in the end, the two pre-session favourites who sailed their way into Q2 on the Island. 0.001s separating Miller and Zarco heading into the pole position shootout. As close as it gets.
Q2: CRASH, SECOND BIKE, POLE – THE MM93 WAY
And just when a dry line was beginning to appear, the rain began to fall once more. The stakes couldn’t have been higher at the start of Q2, and on his first flying lap, having dominated FP2, Marc Marquez crashed at Miller Corner. A classic front-end tuck, no chance of the reigning World Champion saving it, and the #93 had to head back out on his second bike with conditions worsening.
Meanwhile, Zarco sat on provisional pole position by less than a tenth, then 0.5s, with Alex Marquez the only rider within a second of the Frenchman. But for how long? Because Marc Marquez set one, then two, and then a third red sector. And across the line, surprise surprise, the 2025 World Champion climbed to P1. Classy.
Now, the pressure was piled back onto Aprilia Racing. With four minutes to go, Marco Bezzecchi was sixth and the World Championship leader, Martin, was down in 10th. Desperately needing a lap, Martin climbed to P4 as Marc Marquez then slipped to P2 after Zarco chucked in a 1:35.706, and then it was P3 for Marc Marquez as Miller delighted the home faithful with a lap good enough for provisional P2.
Emphasis on the word provisional, because the seven-time MotoGP World Champion then delivered a showstopper. 1.4s quicker than anyone else, Marc Marquez put pole position well out of sight of anyone, with younger brother Alex Marquez pouncing up to a late P2.
All eyes were then pinned on Martin. 0.9s through the final split, holding that to the line would mean P2 on the grid, but the title race leader lost time in the final split to go P4. Not a disaster, though. Far from it. A big lap from the 2024 World Champion, who shoved Miller to the middle of the second row at the close of qualifying play.
Still, P5 in his MotoGP Phillip Island goodbye was a mega job done by the Aussie, who sits one place ahead of 2025 Australian Grand Prix winner Raul Fernandez (SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team) on the grid.
It’s P6 for Fernandez, P7 and the front of Row 3 for Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), and P8 for Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team). Then, Bezzecchi. P9 for the Italian is a very disappointing qualifying result for the Indonesian GP winner, who now has a small mountain to climb in the Tissot Sprint and Grand Prix if he’s to reduce the 46-point gap to teammate Martin in the overall standings.
Rookie Diogo Moreira (Pro Honda LCR), Enea Bastianini (Red Bull KTM Tech3) and Ai Ogura (SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team) make up the fourth row of the grid, as we now strap in for the Tissot Sprint at 15:00 local time – and see what conditions greet us.
Australia MotoGP qualifying results!
Johann Zarco, Castrol Honda LCR, Red Bull Grand Prix of Australia
Johann Zarco, Castrol Honda LCR, Red Bull Grand Prix of Australia
Alex Marquez, BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP™, Red Bull Grand Prix of Australia
Marc Marquez, Ducati Lenovo Team, Red Bull Grand Prix of Australia
Marc Marquez, Ducati Lenovo Team, Red Bull Grand Prix of Australia
Marc Marquez, Alex Marquez, Red Bull Grand Prix of Australia
Marc Marquez, Alex Marquez, Red Bull Grand Prix of Australia
Marc Marquez, Ducati Lenovo Team, Red Bull Grand Prix of Australia
Marc Marquez, Ducati Lenovo Team, Red Bull Grand Prix of Australia
Marc Marquez, Ducati Lenovo Team, Red Bull Grand Prix of Australia
Marc Marquez, Ducati Lenovo Team, Red Bull Grand Prix of Australia
Marc Marquez, Ducati Lenovo Team, Red Bull Grand Prix of Australia