Quartararo Secures Pole Position at Dutch Grand Prix

ASSEN: Fabio Quartararo of Yamaha secured his fourth pole position of the season during the qualifying session for the Dutch Grand Prix on Saturday.

The French racer now has 20 career pole positions in the premier class. He is set to commence Sunday’s race from the front row, accompanied by Francesco Bagnaia of Ducati and Alex Marquez from Gresini Racing.

Quartararo achieved the top spot in a captivating qualifying round marked by regular shifts at the forefront, as the leading contenders vied for dominance.

The Ducati team, consisting of Marc Marquez, Alex Marquez, and Bagnaia, initially established the tempo. Later, Quartararo surged ahead with a remarkable lap time of 1:31.047.

Even though both Marquez brothers briefly went below the 1:31 mark, Quartararo and Bagnaia swiftly countered, reclaiming the top two positions.

Marquez launched a resolute final attempt in the waning moments of qualifying, intending to seize pole position at the Dutch Grand Prix.

However, a mistake during his ultimate flying lap—where he veered off course in the final sector—resulted in a loss of crucial time, ultimately placing him fourth on the grid.

Although demonstrating considerable speed throughout the session, the error prevented him from achieving a front-row start.

His brother, Alex Marquez, also encountered difficulties in extracting additional pace in the final runs. Despite briefly holding a position in the top three, he couldn’t better his time in the later stages and appeared visibly disappointed afterward.

Joining Marquez on the second row are Marco Bezzecchi of Aprilia and Franco Morbidelli of VR46 Racing. Both racers delivered consistent laps amidst pressure and will aim to challenge the front-runners during Saturday’s sprint.

Following the session, Quartararo stated that his main aim was to capitalise on pole:

“The goal is to try to make a great start, strong laps in the sprint, and see how things go. I love this track… so hopefully we can turn this pole position into a great result on Saturday and Sunday.”