Bagnaia Secures Pole at Malaysian Grand Prix, Sets New Lap Record

Beating rival Martin, who crashed in qualifying, Bagnaia aims to extend his 13-point lead in the championship standings.

Francesco Bagnaia of Ducati set a new lap record of 1:57:491 at the Malaysian Grand Prix, securing his first pole position since the Catalan Grand Prix in September.
Bagnaia's rival, Jorge Martin of Pramac Racing, crashed in the final minutes of the second qualifying session, after which his provisional pole time of 1:57.549 was not enough.
Bagnaia, Martin, and Enea Bastianini of Ducati will start on the front row in the race, with Bagnaia aiming to extend his 13-point lead over Martin in the championship standings.
Alex Marquez of Gresini will start fourth, showing promising pace throughout qualifying, while VR46 Racing duo Luca Marini and Marco Bezzecchi took the fifth and sixth slots, respectively.
Six-time MotoGP champion Marc Marquez crashed in the first qualifying session and will start 20th, while Aleix Espargaro, who is fifth in the championship, also missed out on a Q2 spot.