Fabio Quartararo secures Jerez MotoGP pole for Yamaha

Full 2025 Spanish MotoGP Qualifying Results – Fabio Quartararo delivered a sensational performance to claim Jerez MotoGP pole position, marking a huge milestone for Yamaha.

The qualifying session on Saturday was highly anticipated with the paddock and fans expecting another Ducati-dominated affair especially with Marc Marquez’s formidable form and recent string of pole positions.

However, Fabio Quartararo defied all expectations with a blistering lap that not only secured him Jerez MotoGP pole but also broke Ducati’s long-standing stranglehold on qualifying sessions, sending a strong message to his rivals and reinvigorating hopes for Yamaha’s resurgence.

The Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto was bathed in perfect racing conditions, providing an ideal stage for what would become a dramatic and fiercely contested qualifying session.

The dry 4.4 km track allowed riders to push their machines to the limit and from the outset it was clear that the battle for pole would be intense.

Factory Ducati’s Marc Marquez wasted no time in establishing his intentions. On his very first flying lap in Q2 the Spaniard set a new lap record of 1:35.643, sending shockwaves through the paddock and laying down a daunting challenge for the rest of the field.

As the session progressed Marquez’s time seemed almost untouchable. His pace had been formidable all weekend and many believed he was on course for his fifth consecutive pole position of the season.

However, the drama was far from over as Fabio Quartararo, who had shown flashes of speed in Friday practice but was not widely tipped as a pole contender, methodically built up his pace throughout the session.

Quartararo’s Yamaha M1 which had struggled in recent seasons to match the outright speed of the Ducatis seemed transformed under his command.

The Frenchman’s confidence grew with each lap and in the dying moments of Q2 he unleashed a stunning lap of 1:35.610, edging out Marquez by a mere 0.033 seconds and shattering the previous lap record set by Francesco Bagnaia in 2024.

Quartararo’s achievement was not just a personal triumph but a significant milestone for Yamaha, marking their first pole position since the 2022 Indonesian Grand Prix and ending a drought of over 1,100 days.

The Jerez MotoGP pole also signaled the first time a non-Ducati rider had started from the front since Pedro Acosta’s pole at the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix.

Joining Quartararo on the front row were two of the most formidable Ducati riders in the field: Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia.

Bagnaia secured third place with a lap of 1:35.755, just 0.145 seconds off Quartararo’s pace. The top three were separated by a razor-thin margin, underscoring the competitiveness of the session and setting the stage for an electrifying race day.

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The second row of the grid was equally impressive featuring a blend of experience and emerging talent. Alex Marquez narrowly missed out on a front-row start by just 0.003 seconds to secure fourth place ahead of Franco Morbidelli who continued his strong form to take fifth.

Red Bull KTM Tech3’s Maverick Viñales rounded out the second row with a 1:35.852 demonstrating KTM’s growing competitiveness and his own adaptability across manufacturers.

The third row was headlined by rookie sensation Fermin Aldeguer who impressed on home soil by qualifying seventh for BK8 Gresini Ducati. Fabio Di Giannantonio took eighth while Joan Mir delivered a much-needed boost for Honda by qualifying ninth, his third top-ten start in four races this season.

Castrol Honda LCR’s Johann Zarco completed the top ten, giving Honda a double presence in the top ten for the session.

Further down the grid established names and rising stars found themselves in a tightly packed field. Marco Bezzecchi qualified 11th while factory KTM duo Pedro Acosta and Brad Binder took 12th and 13th, respectively.

Jack Miller secured 14th, finishing as the second-best Yamaha rider. Luca Marini’s struggles continued as he qualified between Trackhouse duo Ai Ogura and Raul Fernandez.

Enea Bastianini, still acclimatizing to the demands of the Tech3 KTM RC16, managed only 18th while Honda HRC test rider Aleix Espargaro took 19th ahead of Yamaha test rider Augusto Fernandez.

LCR Honda’s Somkiat Chantra and Aprilia test rider Lorenzo Savadori occupied the penultimate positions while Alex Rins, after a crash in final practice that required a medical check-up, was forced to start from the back of the grid despite a late attempt to improve his time.

2025 Spanish MotoGP Qualifying Results – Jerez