2025 Austrian MotoGP: Marco Bezzecchi takes surprise pole as Marc Marquez crashes

Marco Bezzecchi came from Q1 to take a first pole as an Aprilia MotoGP rider in a dramatic Austrian Grand Prix qualifying, with Marc Marquez fourth after a crash.

Aprilia endured a difficult Friday at the Red Bull Ring, as both of its factory riders failed to secure a direct Q2 place at the end of Practice.

Coming through Q1 in second spot, Marco Bezzecchi sensationally went on to claim his first pole since the 2023 Indian Grand Prix and his first for Aprilia by just 0.016s over Gresini Ducati’s Alex Marquez.

Pecco Bagnaia completed the front in third as the leading factory Ducati team rider, as team-mate and championship leader Marc Marquez crashed in the closing stages.

Having swept all three practice sessions at the Red Bull Ring, Marquez has qualified off the front row for just the third time this season in fourth.

Bezzecchi set the initial pace in the 15-minute Q2 pole shootout at a 1m28.562s having finished second in the preceding Q1 session.

This was immediately beaten by Marc Marquez with a 1m28.220s.

With just under five minutes to go in his second run, Bezzecchi latched onto the back of the sister factory Ducati of Bagnaia and produced a 1m28.060s.

This would ultimately end up the pole time, with Alex Marquez 0.016s adrift on the leading Ducati ahead of Bagnaia.

Marc Marquez’s pole charge ended with just under three minutes to go when he crashed on the exit of the Turn 2 chicane while on a flying lap.

He remounted his damaged factory Ducati, but couldn’t get any pace out of it and had to settle for fourth ahead of Q1 pacesetter Enea Bastianini on the Tech3 KTM.

Gresini rookie Fermin Aldeguer completed the second row in sixth.

Bezzecchi’s first Aprilia pole was put under immense threat right at the end of Q2, as factory KTM rider Pedro Acosta lit up the timing screen.

But the 21-year-old’s lap went away from him at the last corner when he tucked the front of his RC16 before recovering it on the exit.

He will start seventh in what proved to be an eventful session for Acosta, who ran out of fuel during his first run.

VR46’s Franco Morbidelli was eighth ahead of Trackhouse Aprilia’s Raul Fernandez, who crashed late one, with Joan Mir on the Honda in 10th.

Brad Binder was 11th on the third of the KTMs in Q2, while Johann Zarco (LCR Honda) was 12th after crashing for a second time on Saturday.

Luca Marini failed to lift himself out of Q1 in 13th on the sister factory team Honda, with reigning champion Jorge Martin (Aprilia) 14th ahead of VR46’s Fabio Di Giannantonio.

Fabio Quartararo suffered his worst qualifying of the year in 16th on the factory Yamaha, with his 100% Q2 record in 2025 ending in Austria.

Full 2025 MotoGP Austrian Grand Prix qualifying results