Brotherly dominance in Aragon: Marc Márquez breaks records in front of home fans

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Saturday's qualifying at MotorLand Aragon brought Spanish celebrations and brotherly rivalry in its purest form. Marc Márquez broke the absolute circuit record with a time of 1:45.704 and secured his seventh pole position at the Aragonese track. Alex Márquez completed the Spanish triumph in second place, while Franco Morbidelli rounded out the front row.

Thirty-three-year-old Marc Márquez confirmed his dominance on home soil in spectacular fashion. His new circuit record represents his fourth pole position in the 2025 season and demonstrates continued form at a career stage where many speculated about his decline. Ducati Lenovo provided the perfect platform for his masterful abilities.

Alex's performance was even more impressive given the circumstances. After a crash in the final practice session, he had only one motorcycle available, significantly limiting his setup experimentation options. Nevertheless, he managed to temporarily take pole position by 0.022 seconds ahead of his more famous brother, proving his own speed and resilience under pressure.

Q2 brought dramatic battle between the Márquez brothers. Marc started dominantly with a time of 1:45.986, but Alex responded with an aggressive attack and took the lead by a minimal margin. The decisive moment came in the final phase when Marc found an additional two tenths of a second and definitively established his superiority.

Franco Morbidelli achieved his first front row position in the 2025 season with a gap of just 0.284 seconds. His performance was all the more valuable as it came after VR46 Racing struggled with consistency throughout the season. Losing only 0.026 seconds to Marc in sector three suggests he had potential for an even better result.

Ducati demonstrated its technical superiority by occupying the first four positions. Francesco Bagnaia, however, experienced a problematic qualifying session, having to dramatically salvage the situation after eleventh place in the first run. A moment at turn eight destroyed his second fast attempt, but a final attack lifted him to fourth place with more than a six-tenths gap to his teammate.

KTM recorded its best qualifying performance of the season with three motorcycles in the top eight. Pedro Acosta continued his impressive form with fifth place, while Brad Binder and Maverick Viñales proved the speed of the Tech3 team. This progress suggests the Austrian manufacturer has found the right development direction.

Yamaha experienced contrasting results with Fabio Quartararo, who ended his streak of the last three pole positions by fighting through Q1 drama to ninth place. Monster Yamaha still struggles with fundamental problems, but the Frenchman's performance offers hope for improvement.

Aprilia, conversely, continued its crisis with Marco Bezzecchi, who after a crash at turn three and technical problems finished in twentieth place. The transformation from Silverstone hero to zero in Aragon illustrates the unpredictability of current MotoGP.

The starting grid for Sunday's sprint will bring interesting dynamics. The right side has significantly more grip than the left, giving an advantage to Marc Márquez and Bagnaia. Alex Márquez on the left side will face the additional handicap of dirty asphalt.

The absence of Luca Marini due to injury from a superbike test and Ai Ogura's continuing convalescence reduces the starting field. Wild cards for Augusto Fernandez and Lorenzo Savadori provide opportunities for test riders to showcase their abilities.

Sunday's sprint promises continuation of brotherly rivalry under the Spanish sun. Marc's form and home support make him the favorite, but Alex's resilience with a single motorcycle and Morbidelli's VR46 speed offer alternative scenarios.

The Aragonese qualifying confirmed that age is just a number for Marc Márquez, while Alex proved he deserves respect as an independent talent, not just as "the younger brother." Their battle symbolizes current MotoGP - a combination of experience with new challenges.