Jorge Martin takes Austrian GP pole by 0.015 seconds over Marc Marquez
Aprilia rider Jorge Martin secured pole position for the Austrian Grand Prix at Spielberg, beating title rival Marc Marquez by 0.015 seconds to set up an all-Spanish front row.
Martin takes Spielberg pole
Jorge Martin secured pole position for the Austrian Grand Prix on Saturday, setting a 1:27.917 lap time in the closing minutes of second qualifying at the Red Bull Ring. The 28-year-old Aprilia rider, who won the 2024 MotoGP championship, edged title rival Marc Marquez by 0.015 seconds to claim his third pole position of the season. Martin will start Sunday's main race from the front row alongside Marquez and Pedro Acosta. The Spaniard decided against following other riders during his final flying lap in order to avoid the risk of yellow flags.
I was behind Marc at first. Even though I was fast, I couldn't ride the way I wanted to or brake strong. So I decided to go on my own and avoid the risk of yellow flags. I pushed like crazy. Everything was under control, but definitely on the limit, so I'm really happy.
Championship dead heat
The qualifying battle follows a change at the top of the riders' standings after the San Marino Grand Prix on the previous weekend. Marquez won that chaotic race to move level with Martin on 274 points. The Ducati rider took first place in the championship standings by virtue of having won more Grand Prix races during the 2026 season. Martin lost the championship lead in San Marino after suffering from forearm compartment syndrome, commonly known as arm-pump. During Saturday's qualifying in Spielberg, Martin was seen shaking his arm repeatedly to relieve muscle tension, though he completed the session without losing pace.
- Marc Marquez
- 274 pts
- Jorge Martin
- 274 pts
Front row reactions and tyre strategy
Marquez placed his factory Ducati second on the grid with a 1:27.932 lap, trailing Martin by 15 milliseconds. Pedro Acosta qualified third on his KTM, completing an all-Spanish front row at the Austrian manufacturer's home circuit in Spielberg. Marquez noted that his team resolved handling difficulties that had slowed his time-attack runs during Friday practice.
Yesterday we were struggling a lot in the time attack, so today we improved. I knew it would be difficult to make the front row but we're here now, so I'm happy.
Marquez also explained that tire degradation at the Red Bull Ring creates a sharp contrast between performance on new rubber and used rubber. He stated that the Saturday sprint race presents different demands compared to Sunday's full-distance Grand Prix.
Grid distribution behind the leaders
Aprilia rider Marco Bezzecchi, who currently holds third place in the world championship standings, qualified fourth on the grid. Trackhouse Aprilia rider Ai Ogura took fifth position, followed by Gresini Ducati rider Alex Marquez in sixth place. Francesco Bagnaia placed seventh on his factory Ducati, sharing the third row with Fabio Di Giannantonio in eighth and Yamaha rider Fabio Quartararo in ninth.
- Marc Marquez wins the San Marino Grand Prix to tie Jorge Martin on 274 championship points.
- Johann Zarco crashes in practice while Marquez struggles during time-attack runs.
- Jorge Martin clocks a 1:27.917 lap to edge Marquez by 0.015 seconds for pole at Spielberg.
- The Austrian Grand Prix main race takes place at the Red Bull Ring.
Johann Zarco, who crashed during Friday practice, advanced from the Q1 session to secure tenth position for Honda. Brad Binder qualified 11th for KTM, ahead of Gresini Ducati's Fermin Aldeguer in 12th and Trackhouse Aprilia's Raul Fernandez in 13th. The starting grid is rounded out by Pol Espargaro in 14th, Luca Marini in 15th, Diogo Moreira in 16th, Enea Bastianini in 17th, Takaaki Nakagami in 18th, Franco Morbidelli in 19th, Alex Rins in 20th, Jack Miller in 21st, and Toprak Razgatlioglu in 22nd.
