#93 vs #73 continues in Argentina as Zarco puts Honda on the front row for the first time since 2023.
Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) has now taken back-to-back poles for the first time since 2019, with another stunner coming in from the #93 at the Gran Premio YPF Energia de Argentina. His 1:36.917 is the first ever 1:36 of the venue, a new lap record, and puts him quarter of a second clear at the top.
Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP), who was close on Friday too, is next on the chase in second, with Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) making some magic in third for Honda’s first front row since 2023 – just 0.042 off the #73 ahead.
STORY OF QUALIFYING: the battle for Q2
An early hot lap on bagged Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) a slot at the top with Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP) in hot pursuit in P2 provisionally, but the final 4 minutes were going to be dramatic as everyone hit the track for their shot at going into Q2. It was all over at Turn 2 for Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda LCR) who fell and would therefore not improve, whilst Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) replicated his fellow rookie a lap later, likewise missing out on a plac in Q2. On the first lap of his second run, Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol) then came to the fore and went P2, demoting Miller to P3 and joining Morbidelli in the pole shootout.
Q2 CORKER: #93 on fire to annihilate lap record
The business end of qualifying: Q2 ignited and straight away, the lap record was obliterated by none other than Marc Marquez, who was fractionally outside the first-ever 1’36s motorcycle lap of the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit. A huge performance by Zarco then put him provisionally on the front row, and it looked like that eas actually quite a benchmark for the rest.
With the final five minutes beckoning, it was full throttle to try and better their lap times. Alex Marquez was following his brother, whilst Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) salvaged P4. However, it was his teammate Marquez who was lighting up the time screens; on his penultimate flying lap, he set the first and only-ever 1’36 lap of Termas de Rio Hondo. A 1’36.917 sees him go from pole, his first back-to-back poles since 2019’s Austrian and British Grands Prix. Alex Marquez secures P2 and Zarco clung on to a first Honda front row and his first since 2023’s season-closing Grand Prix in Valencia, with no one else able to pip the Frenchman.
FIREWORKS BEHIND: dark horses in top places
It’s fourth place for Pecco who seeks to make a traditional fast start off the line but he’ll have ‘El Tiburon’ Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) for company too, with the #37 putting himself right in amongst the sharp end of the grid. Completing the second row, Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) is still less than a tenth of a second off the front row and after he was second fastest on Friday.
Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) bettered his season opener qualifying with P7 in Argentina, ahead of Q1 ascendant Morbidelli. Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) goes from P9, one place ahead of Mir, with the 2020 World Champion making it two Hondas in the top ten in tenth. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Alex Rins (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) round out the Q2 field, with Rins taking his best grid slot since Sepang last year after direct entry to Q2 gained on Friday too.
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