Marco Bezzecchi clinched pole for the Italian Grand Prix after a blistering 1:43.921 lap at Mugello, giving Aprilia a historic front‑row lock‑out.
Aprilia dominates the top three places
Bezzecchi’s pole lap averaged 181.695 km/h, edging out fellow Aprilia rider Raúl Fernández, who posted a 1:44.145 effort (+0.224 s) to claim second. Jorge Martín completed the Aprilia sweep, recording 1:44.284 (+0.363 s) for third, setting up a three‑bike battle for the lead on Sunday.
Ducati’s strong presence in the middle of the grid
Returning champion Marc Marquez topped the Ducati contingent, qualifying fourth with a 1:44.294 lap (+0.373 s). Gresini’s Fermín Aldeguer was just behind at +0.392 s, while factory Ducati teammate Francesco Bagnaia secured sixth (+0.561 s). Team VR46’s Fabio di Giannantonio, despite leading all practice sessions, settled for seventh (+0.577 s). The highest‑placed Honda was LCR rookie Diogo Moreira in eighth (+0.713 s), followed by teammate Franco Morbidelli (ninth) and KTM’s Pedro Acosta (tenth).
Late lineup changes and substitute riders
Ducati test rider Michele Pirro will replace Alex Marquez at Gresini, while former World Superbike champion Cal Crutchlow returns from retirement to fill Johann Zarco’s seat at LCR.
With Aprilia’s pole sweep and a packed Ducati midfield, Sunday’s race promises a tightly contested showdown at the legendary Mugello circuit.
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