Marquez claims 100th career pole with lap record

Mugello, Italy

Marc Marquez secured a record-breaking 100th career pole position on his Ducati debut at the Mugello Circuit during qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix on Saturday. Marquez topped the timesheets with a stunning 1:44.169 lap, setting a new track record in a thrilling session that saw the benchmark lowered multiple times.

The Spaniard, who claimed his sixth pole this season and 72nd in MotoGP alongside his 14 poles in Moto2 and the 125cc World Championship, was pleased with his performance. I’m super happy because it was a real pole position, Marquez said, adding that the afternoon heat could change the race dynamic.

After initially clocking a provisional pole using his brother Alex’s slipstream, Marquez then went faster on a solo lap, improving on Alex’s time. Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo and Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia also set record laps in the tense session, with Bagnaia ultimately qualifying second, just 0.059 seconds behind Marquez. Alex Marquez will complete the front row.

Bagnaia praised Marquez’s performance, saying, I tried everything, but Marc was in super shape. Quartararo ended up fourth despite his earlier record lap and will start alongside KTM’s Maverick Vinales and VR46 Racing’s Franco Morbidelli on the second row.

With race conditions expected to heat up, Marquez acknowledged that patience will be vital for success in Sunday’s Italian GP.