Marc Marquez beats Zarco to take Spanish GP pole in wet session
Photo by Gold & Goose Photography/Getty Images Marc Marquez took pole for the 2026 MotoGP Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez on Saturday, edging out Johann Zarco in a wet qualifying session. It was another big moment for the Honda star who became the youngest ever world champion last season when he secured the title in a dramatic final race against Pedro Acosta and Francesco Bagnaia. The wet conditions at Jerez played into Marquez’s hands, levelling the field after he’d struggled with one-lap pace earlier in practice.
While there were no drastic changes to his bike setup overnight, he made use of time on worn tyres, which paid off as track conditions changed ahead of Q2. But it wasn’t just the weather that worked in his favour. With everyone heading out early on slicks before switching to wets, Marc stayed patient and used that window to put together a strong lap when the track started drying up.
Marc Marquez earns Spanish Grand Prix pole at Jerez for 2026 MotoGP Photo by Klaus Pressberger/SEPA. Media /Getty Images Alex Marquez led the early laps in Q2, but the wet track didn’t play to his strengths the way it did on Friday. His brother Marc quickly moved ahead, though it was Pedro Acosta who initially set the pace.
Acosta benefited from coming through Q1 and managed to top Marc’s opening lap by a tenth, but Marc hit back straight away. Around that time, Fermin Aldeguer went down at Turn 8 after Acosta’s line caught his attention. Moments later, Alex Marquez also crashed at Turn 9 while chasing his brother, as Marc kept finding improvements.
The elder Marquez stretched his lead over Acosta to more than half a second before most riders headed in for new tyres. As conditions improved, Johann Zarco found some pace and moved clear by just under a quarter of a second. Zarco even pulled out a margin of over six-tenths before Marc began his final run.