Marc Marquez put on a spectacular performance in Argentina, setting a new lap record to take pole position in qualifying. Meanwhile, Johann Zarco surprised everyone by securing a front-row start from third place.

Heading into Saturday’s qualifying, Marquez was already the favorite after finishing Friday as the fastest rider. On Saturday morning, he went even quicker, setting a blistering 1m36.917s to take pole position. His brother, Alex Marquez, was close behind but still 0.246 seconds off the pace.

Zarco, who has been in great form all weekend, continued his strong run in Q2, setting a 1m37.205s to take third place. This also marks Honda’s first front-row start in two years, with their last one coming at Mugello in 2023 when Marc Marquez was on the front row.

Exciting Q2 Battle

The Q2 session kicked off with Marc Marquez setting a fast lap early on. He then improved on his next run, with his brother Alex staying close behind him.

Francesco Bagnaia had a slow start and was only eighth after his first run. However, as the session neared its final minutes, several riders pushed hard, posting fast laps. Despite their efforts, no one could take the lead from Marquez.

On his final flying lap, Marc Marquez sealed the fastest time with a 1m36.917s. His brother Alex secured second with a 1m37.163s, while Zarco finished 0.288 seconds behind in third place.

Final Grid Positions

Bagnaia managed to improve late in the session, jumping up to fourth place. Just 0.006 seconds behind him was Pedro Acosta in fifth, while Fabio Di Giannantonio completed the second row.

Fabio Quartararo qualified seventh, followed by Franco Morbidelli, who fought through Q1 to grab eighth place. Marco Bezzecchi secured ninth place on his Aprilia.

Joan Mir gave Honda a top-10 finish, while Brad Binder and Alex Rins rounded out the top 12. Jack Miller narrowly missed out on Q2 and will start from 13th.

Further back, Fermin Aldeguer and Ai Ogura will line up 14th and 15th. Ogura suffered a crash in Q1, as did fellow rookie Somkiat Chantra.

With Marquez on pole, can he take another victory in the Sprint race?