Álex Márquez satisfied after 3rd place in Catalonia: "I'm on the front row and that's the main thing."

Third in qualifying for the Catalan Grand Prix behind Pedro Acosta and Franco Morbidelli, Álex Márquez was satisfied with his session despite what he considered an imperfect lap. The Spaniard from Gresini will start from the front row at his home race.

Published 16/05/2026 à 13:49

Raphael Rapin

  Comment on this article! 0

Álex Márquez satisfied after 3rd place in Catalonia: "I'm on the front row and that's the main thing."

© Michelin Motorsport

Álex Márquez confirmed his good form on Saturday during qualifying for the Catalan Grand Prix, securing third position on the starting grid. At the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, the Gresini rider was only beaten by Pedro Acosta, who took pole position, and Franco Morbidelli.

A close session, where the Spaniard long seemed capable of aiming even higher. Ultimately finishing third, the Catalan focused mainly on the positives after a qualifying round he considered far from perfect.

« It was very important to have a good session " he explained in the closed park. I think we had a pretty good Q2, but we just didn't put it all together. I felt good in some areas, but I didn't have a perfect lap. " explains Álex Márquez.

Free practice sessions, however, were complicated.

The Gresini rider also admitted to having approached this qualifying session with mixed feelings after Free Practice 2, where he was four-tenths of a second off Joan Mir's (Honda) benchmark. This morning, I didn't have the best possible feeling for qualifying. " he confided. The Spaniard, however, managed to increase the pace at the ideal moment to secure a place on the front line, in 3rd place in front of his home crowd.

Visu Alpine from 07/05/26

« I attacked, I enjoyed it, I'm on the front line, and that's what matters. " summarized Marc Márquez's younger brother, who was absent this weekend due to his injury sustained at Le Mans.

Last year, Álex Márquez crashed out while leading on Saturday before going on to win the main race. He could therefore once again be a contender in the Sprint and then the Grand Prix on Sunday in Barcelona, ​​especially given the particularly small gaps between KTM, Ducati, and Aprilia. This promises to be an exciting race.

ALSO READ > Catalan GP – Qualifying: Pedro Acosta on pole, the French drivers in contention

Autohebdo Store

See the shop

Comment on this article! 0

Read also

Comments

0 Comment (s)

Write a comment