Marc Marquez takes 100th Career Pole at Mugello

Spanish legend holds off Bagnaia in front of a heaving Italian crowd, with Ducati locking out the front row at their home round

The scorching Tuscan tarmac of Mugello played host to a breathtaking MotoGP qualifying session that saw records shattered and Marc Marquez once again topping the timing screens.

Shadowing brother Alex throughout their initial runs, Marc looked fast and controlled from the outset. Alex was the first to lay down a marker with a lap that very briefly stood as the session’s quickest, but Marc responded instantaneously, using a tow from Alex down Mugello’s iconic straight to break the existing lap record.

Fabio Quartararo reminded everyone why he’s the only rider not named Marc to have taken pole positions this year, wringing every ounce out of the Yamaha to place himself in provisional third early in the session. However, it was local hero Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia who then seized the spotlight. Feeding off the energy of the Italian crowd, the factory Ducati rider lit up the timing screens to slot into second with a  1’44.548s lap — a clear signal that his front-end confidence has been restored at a circuit where he has so often excelled.

As the final time attacks began, Quartararo and Bagnaia were the first out this time, the Frenchman delivering a blistering Sector 3 and momentarily regaining provisional pole with yet another lap record. But with the Marquez brothers and Bagnaia all throwing up red sectors behind him, it was always going to be short-lived.

Bagnaia carved through Mugello with his trademark finesse, dragging his elbow through the final turn in spectacular style and lowering the lap record once again to a 1:44.228. Moments later, Alex Marquez crossed the line with a near-identical 1:44.252 lap, just three-hundredths shy of Bagnaia’s effort.

All eyes then turned to Marc Marquez, pushing the limits into San Donato with the factory-spec Ducati GP24/25 snaking beneath him. Despite being marginally down through Sector 3, he blitzed across the line with a staggering 1:44.169 — the fastest lap Mugello has ever seen, and enough to secure pole position and his 100th of a glittering career.

Bagnaia mounted a final push but a sketchy moment into Turn 7 saw his challenge fall short, while Marc himself was denied a potential improvement after being baulked by a slow-moving Alex Rins into turn 1.

Just when it looked like the order was set, Maverick Viñales showed everyone why he has been the standout KTM rider all weekend. He looked capable of upsetting the Ducati apple cart, running just a tenth behind Marc’s time at the halfway point. He ultimately settled for fifth though— still a strong result for the Austrian outfit.

Further down the order, it was Franco Morbidelli who impressed with a tidy lap aboard his Ducati, locking in sixth ahead of Fabio Di Giannantonio. Pedro Acosta delivered another mature qualifying performance to take eighth on the grid for KTM, while Alex Rins took ninth for Yamaha. Completing the top ten was Marco Bezzecchi, who would have been hoping to be further up the order after showing promising practice pace on the Aprilia.

Marc takes another incredible pole position but Bagnaia looks happy and reinvigorated at his home round and looks set to push the championship leader hard in both the sprint and full length races.

2025 Italian MotoGP Qualifying