MotoGP: Márquez snatches Hungarian GP pole from Acosta despite early crash

Marc Márquez delivered a statement performance at Balaton Park on Saturday morning, overcoming an early crash to seize his second pole position of the 2026 MotoGP season.

In only his second race weekend since returning from shoulder surgery, the reigning world champion produced a late‑session masterclass to deny Pedro Acosta, who had looked untouchable for much of qualifying.

The #93 crashed on his first flying lap at Turn 1 — a low‑speed fall that briefly halted his momentum — but the setback only sharpened his edge. Márquez rebuilt rhythm through the session, climbed to second at the end of his opening run, and then launched a decisive late attack.

With three minutes remaining, Acosta appeared to have locked down pole with a 1m36.888s, extending what had been a four‑tenths advantage earlier in Q2. But Márquez responded with a 1m36.781s, and then improved again to a 1m36.785s on his final attempt, securing pole by 0.053s.

The result moves Márquez to 76 premier‑class pole positions, reinforcing his growing form after a cautious comeback at Mugello.

Acosta, fastest on Friday and the clear favourite heading into qualifying, set the tone early with laps of 1m37.419s and 1m37.228s. The KTM rider tightened his grip on the session with that late 1m36.888s, but a mistake on his final lap ended his hopes of reclaiming pole.

Still, second place keeps him in a strong position for the race, especially given his long‑run pace on Friday.

Fermín Aldeguer delivered one of the standout performances of the session, qualifying third and securing a front‑row start for Gresini. Riding with Ducati’s updated chassis for the first time this weekend, the Spaniard extracted immediate performance and remained competitive throughout Q2.

Fabio Di Giannantonio recovered from an early Turn 1 crash to take fourth, while Pecco Bagnaia salvaged fifth after progressing through Q1 on the factory Ducati. Championship leader Marco Bezzecchi endured a scrappy session and could do no better than sixth, 0.643s off Márquez’s pole time.