Jerez de la Frontera (Spain), April 26 (IANS) France’s Fabio Quartararo roared back into the MotoGP spotlight, stealing pole position from a rampant Marc Marquez in a dramatic climax to qualifying at the Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuito de Jerez on Saturday. In a session where the lap record was shattered not once but twice, Quartararo’s stunning late charge left the home crowd momentarily silent.
Marquez, the six-time MotoGP World Champion and crowd favourite at the Circuito de Jerez, looked poised to clinch his fifth consecutive pole position. His early benchmark time of 1:35.643 seemed unassailable as he pushed his Ducati to its very limits.
But in the dying moments of the second qualifying round (Q2), Quartararo — a man with something to prove after a turbulent couple of seasons — unleashed a flawless lap of 1:35.610, snatching his first pole since 2022 by the slimmest of margins.
“It’s a really special feeling, a special emotion for everybody,” said Quartararo after the race. “We know that the points are in the sprint and the main race, but already to feel this atmosphere close to all these guys is something special. Hopefully, we can make a great fight tonight in the sprint. The race will be a little more difficult, but super happy to be here. We’re working hard — and the work will pay off,” Quartararo said after the session.
Marquez leads the title race by 17 points over his younger brother, Gresini Ducati’s Alex Marquez, who qualified a strong fourth. VR46 Racing’s Franco Morbidelli slotted into fifth, keeping the pressure on the leaders ahead of a crucial sprint later in the evening. Quartararo will be hoping to capitalise on the pole position in Sunday’s main race to make the title race more interesting.
Despite being pipped to the pole, Marc Marquez’s focus is firmly on the bigger picture. Victory in the sprint could see him further extend his lead over Alex, and stretch the gap to reigning world champion Francesco Bagnaia, who trails by 26 points. Quartararo is currently placed 8th in the standings with 30 points.
–IANS
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