Aprilia frontrunner Marco Bezzecchi has delivered a stunning Q1 to pole performance at the Red Bull Ring.
Coming within a hair’s width of the first 1:27s lap of the weekend, the Italian takes his first MotoGP pole position since the 2023 Indian Grand Prix.
Coming off a horrendous Practice Friday at the Austrian GP, Bezzecchi showed strong Saturday form from the get-go, lapping over a second quicker in Q1 than he did on Friday.
Putting in the second-fastest lap time of the session, ‘Bez’ followed Enea Bastianini into Q2.
Still in the groove of the first qualifying session, Bezzecchi went on to set the first benchmark in the fight for pole, before Marc Marquez responded with a 1:28.2 to take provisional pole.
The Spaniard’s Q2 session, however, quickly fell apart after he got pushed down to 4th by Bezzecchi, Alex Marquez and his teammate Bagnaia.
Having missed out on improving on the first lap of his final run, and with a bit of pressure from a potential start off the front row building, his front tire cried no more on the exit of the Turn 2 chicane, resulting in a trip into the gravel trap.
💥 @marcmarquez93 CRASHES
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) August 16, 2025
He's up and running already though 🤯#AustrianGP 🇦🇹 pic.twitter.com/yXsMfxlj5T
Although the Spaniard managed to pick up and continue on his damaged Ducati, the pace was no longer there.
Alex Marquez and Pecco Bagnaia were well-positioned to capitalise, but, with the clock ticking down and yellow flags disrupting the session, Bezzecchi struck when it mattered most.
Having tucked in behind Bagnaia on his lap and nailing the final sector, the Aprilia rider put in a 1:28.060 to secure the Italian marque’s first pole position at the Red Bull Ring.
Alex Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia will complete the front row, with crash victim Marc Marquez starting fourth on the grid. Enea Bastianini and Fermin Aldeguer round out the Top 6.
Pedro Acosta endured an eventful Q2 session, placing fourth early on before encountering a technical issue (or running out of fuel).
The Spaniard was forced to push his RC-16 back to the paddock through the service roads.
Onboard through the paddock 🤯@37_pedroacosta's bike is back in the box 👀#AustrianGP 🇦🇹 pic.twitter.com/3k2BOunKm0
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) August 16, 2025
Back on the bike and the final lap of the session, he looked set for at least a spot on the front row and might even have taken a home GP pole position for KTM had a big moment through the final corner not cost him more than half a second. Acosta ended up seventh.
Franco Morbidelli, Raul Fernandez, Joan Mir, Brad Binder and Johann Zarco completed the Top 10.
Fernandez and Zarco ruined their chances at a better spot on the grid by crashing in the final minutes of the session.
