Marco Bezzecchi Breaks Mugello Lap Record as Aprilia Secures Historic Italian MotoGP Front-Row Sweep

Mugello, Italy, May 30, 2026: Championship leader Marco Bezzecchi delivered a stunning qualifying performance at the Italian MotoGP, smashing the Mugello lap record and securing pole position with a sensational 1:43.921 lap. The Aprilia Racing star became the first rider in history to break into the 1:43 bracket at the iconic Tuscan circuit, leading a historic Aprilia front-row lockout.

Bezzecchi’s remarkable effort earned him his first pole position since the Thailand Grand Prix in Buriram and handed Aprilia its first-ever 1-2-3 qualifying result in MotoGP history. Joining him on the front row are Raul Fernandez of Trackhouse MotoGP Team in second and reigning world champion Jorge Martin in third.

The result marks a significant milestone for Aprilia at its home Grand Prix, while Ducati finds itself off the front row at Mugello for the first time since 2011.

Fernandez and Acosta Advance from Intense Q1 Battle

Qualifying 1 featured several heavyweight contenders, including Pedro Acosta, Fernandez and rookie sensation Ai Ogura.

Acosta initially topped the session with a 1:44.765, but Fernandez produced a late improvement to take the fastest time. Ogura showed promising pace with several red sectors but narrowly missed progression to Q2 by just 0.087 seconds. Fernandez and Acosta secured the two available spots in the pole shootout.

Aprilia Dominates Q2 as Bezzecchi Raises the Bar

The battle for pole intensified in Q2, with Ducati riders Francesco Bagnaia and Marc Marquez leading the early charge.

However, Martin quickly established Aprilia’s pace advantage with a 1:44.284 benchmark, placing himself within striking distance of the all-time lap record. At the halfway point, Aprilia riders occupied the top three positions, with Fernandez and Bezzecchi backing up Martin’s pace.

As riders fitted fresh tyres for their final attempts, the session erupted into a dramatic shootout. Bagnaia improved to fourth temporarily before Bezzecchi produced a breathtaking lap, becoming the first rider ever to record a 1:43 around Mugello.

Marquez appeared capable of challenging for pole after setting impressive sector times, but traffic involving Acosta compromised his final run, forcing the six-time MotoGP champion to settle for fourth on the grid.

Historic Result for Aprilia

Bezzecchi’s pole position was achieved by a commanding margin of 0.363 seconds over teammate Martin and also delivered Aprilia’s first Mugello pole since former rider Tetsuya Harada claimed top spot in 1999.

Fernandez completed the historic front-row sweep, underlining Aprilia’s dominance ahead of Sunday’s race.

Aldeguer and Moreira Shine in Top Ten

Marquez heads the second row in fourth ahead of Fermin Aldeguer, who secured an impressive fifth-place start for BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP. Bagnaia recovered to sixth after struggling to find pace during the session.

Barcelona race winner Fabio Di Giannantonio qualified seventh despite overcoming a technical issue in FP2.

One of the standout performances came from Brazilian rookie Diogo Moreira, who claimed a career-best eighth position for Pro Honda LCR. Moreira became the first Brazilian rider since Alex Barros in 2007 to qualify inside the top ten in MotoGP.

Franco Morbidelli completed the third row in ninth, while Acosta rounded out the top ten. Enea Bastianini and Alex Rins qualified 11th and 12th respectively.

Italian MotoGP Qualifying Results – Top 12

1. Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) – 1:43.921
2. Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse MotoGP Team)
3. Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing)
4. Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team)
5. Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP)
6. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team)
7. Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team)
8. Diogo Moreira (Pro Honda LCR)
9. Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team)
10. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing)
11. Enea Bastianini (Red Bull KTM Tech3)
12. Alex Rins (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP)