Marc Marquez sweeps to Hungarian MotoGP pole

BALATONFOKAJAR - Spanish motorcycling legend Marc Marquez seeking a seventh successive sprint/race double secured pole position on Saturday for the Hungarian MotoGP.

The six-time world champion dominated once again on his Ducati to post the fastest time of 1min 36.518sec and will start from pole for the 74th time in the elite class.

The 32-year-old leads younger brother Alex by 142 points in the title race, but the latter made a mess of qualifying on his Ducati-Gresini.

He was 11th fastest, but will start from 14th spot on the grid after being punished for impeding his older brother's team-mate, two-time world champion Francesco Bagnaia in Friday's practice session.

Marc Marquez, who can extend his lead later on Saturday by winning the sprint, will be shadowed on the front row of the grid by Italian duo Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia) and Fabio Di Giannantonio (Ducati-VR46).

"It is crucial to start in front here as it is a very difficult track to overtake on," said Marc Marquez.

"I messed up a few times on the brakes but in spite of that I posted a good time.

"It is imperative to be really focussed on this track because it is easy to make a mistake."

Bagnaia has been a shadow of the rider that won the two world crowns (2022/23), since Marquez joined the team this season, and his decline was in evidence again on Saturday.

The 28-year-old Italian will start from only 15th on the grid, his worst qualifying performance since the Portuguese MotoGP in April 2022.