Bagnaia Grabs Czech GP Pole as Marquez Crashes, Martin Returns

Francesco Bagnaia, a two-time MotoGP champion, secured his first pole position of the season at the Czech Republic Grand Prix on Saturday. He outperformed his Ducati teammate, Marc Marquez, who experienced a crash during his final qualifying lap.

Bagnaia achieved the fastest time of one minute and 52.303 seconds in Brno, where the weather was mostly sunny. Marquez qualified in second place, while Fabio Quartararo of Yamaha completed the front row.

Marquez was aiming for his eighth pole position of the season but unfortunately slid into the gravel during the final minutes of the second qualifying session. Bagnaia expressed his gratitude to his team, acknowledging their excellent work. He also noted the challenge posed by the tires for the Czech MotoGP sprint scheduled for later that day.

Reigning MotoGP champion Jorge Martin returned to qualifying, finishing in 12th place. He had missed ten out of the eleven rounds due to injuries sustained in a pre-season crash. These injuries, which included wrist and ankle issues, sidelined him for the initial three rounds. A subsequent crash in Qatar resulted in a collapsed lung and bruised ribs.

Fabio Di Giannantonio of VR46 Racing, currently fourth in the riders' championship, will begin the race from 13th on the grid. He had finished third in the first qualifying session.

In the riders' championship standings, Marquez leads with 344 points, followed by his younger brother Alex, who has 261 points.