Bagnaia blows Qatar GP shot at Marquez with qualifying crash

Ducati MotoGP rider Marc Marquez took pole position for the Qatar Grand Prix as team-mate Pecco Bagnaia compromised his weekend with a poorly-timed crash.

Reigning champion Jorge Martin qualified 14th on his MotoGP return, his challenge for a Q2 spot ultimately coming up short as he didn't capitalise on his second rear tyre in Q1.

The big outlier from the session, Bagnaia, was down in a conspicuous ninth place after the initial Q1 runs, trailing Marc Marquez by seven tenths of a second but starting his second run early with a view to rectifying that.

Yet after going through the first sector with a promising partial time he crashed immediately at Turn 1, consigning himself to a spot on the fourth row.