Alex Escrig clinched his first Moto2 pole position this Saturday (the 7th), at the Qatar Grand Prix, setting a new Lusail Circuit record of 1:55.241. The KLINT Racing rider dominated the qualifying, while Manuel González and Izan Guevara, separated by only 3.5 points in the world championship fight, received penalties that altered their starting grid positions.
González finished the session with the second-best time, but will start fifth after the penalties. Guevara, who had qualified seventh, dropped to tenth. Both were penalized for riding slowly on the racing line as they left the pits, hindering Daniel Muñoz’s quick lap.
The title contenders’ battle drew attention in the closing minutes of Q2. González was only ninth when the riders returned to the pits to prepare their final attempts, while Guevara appeared among the front-runners.
Going out for the decisive laps, González tucked his bike behind Guevara to take advantage of the slipstream. However, the two encountered traffic caused by Xabi Zurutuza, and the championship leader was able to respond to the situation best.
González overtook Guevara at turn 16, but his first attempt ended only in seventh. On the following lap, he also passed Zurutuza, found clear track, and set 1:55.367, taking second on the classification.
Guevara, on the other hand, found himself caught behind the KLINT Racing rider and could not improve enough to contest a front-row place. With the penalties later applied, the gap between the two on the grid widened to five positions.
While the title contenders faced difficulties, Escrig remained out of reach of the competition. The Spaniard even came within a mere 0.009 seconds of beating his own record and sealed pole with a 0.126-second advantage over González.
Daniel Holgado finished the session in third, 0.233 seconds off the pole, followed by Celestino Vietti, Collin Veijer and Senna Agius. Guevara finished seventh, ahead of José Antonio Rueda and Adrián Huertas.
The penalties also affected Agius, Huertas, Barry Baltus, Zonta van den Goorbergh, Ayumu Sasaki and Zurutuza, triggering additional changes to the starting grid.
With the reshuffle, the front row will be formed by Escrig, Holgado and Vietti. Veijer, González and Rueda will occupy the second, while Guevara will start the race from the fourth row.
Escrig became the 12th different rider to claim a Moto2 pole position in 2026. For González and Guevara, however, the qualifying result and the penalties add a new element to the championship battle, which heads into Sunday’s race with only 3.5 points separating the two riders.
