MotoGP Argentina: Alex Marquez lands maiden MotoGP pole via Q1 and despite crash

Alex Marquez will start the Argentinian MotoGP from pole position for the first time in his career after leaving it late on a drying track to prevail at Termas de Rio Hondo.

A landmark conclusion to an eventful qualifying session for the Spaniard, Marquez’s rise to the summit in the decisive Q2 session came after successfully progressing from the preceding Q1

session despite a clumsy tip-off in its final moments.

With a threat of rain looming large on Friday, the heavens finally opened for a short time prior to qualifying, leaving the circuit damp and slick initially but dry enough for soft rubber in the closing moments.

As such, the lattermost riders coming across the line felt the benefit, not least Marquez, who surged to the top as the final man to take the flag with a 1m 43.881s lap.

It means that - despite the absence of Alex’s brother Marc this weekend - a Marquez will have started both the Sprint Race and main GP feature from pole position for the second round in succession.

Marquez will lead an all-Ducati front row too, with Marco Bezzecchi getting away alongside him in second place on the Mooney VR46 Racing machine, while championship leader Pecco Bagnaia is well placed to extend his points’ advantage from third on the grid.

On a weekend that has seen him make a welcome return to the upper echelons on the timesheets, Franco Morbidelli continued that momentum into qualifying, the Italian thriving in the changeable conditions to head up row two in fourth place.

He will get away alongside pre-qualifying favourite for pole position Maverick Vinales, the Spaniard forced to settle for fifth as the weather checked Aprilia’s superior dry weather form this weekend thus far.

Johann Zarco rounds out the top six on the