Alex Escrig driving for KLINT Racing Team put on a masterclass in Qatar, dominating the session to secure a maiden Moto2 pole with a record-breaking lap time of 1:55.241. That stunning pace left the rest of the field scrambling, but the real drama unfolded behind the leader in a tactical battle of wits between championship rivals Manuel Gonzalez representing LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP and Izan Guevara of BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2. Coming into the weekend, just 3.5 points separated the pair at the top of the standings.
Initially, Gonzalez orchestrated a brilliant late-session move by latching onto the slipstream of his title rival. With just seven minutes remaining and the field cycling through the pit lane for a final shootout, Gonzalez hunted down Guevara through traffic. After first passing Guevara at Turn 16, Gonzalez launched one final flyer, diving past Xabi Zurutuza to find clear air. That brilliant piece of strategy allowed Gonzalez to hammer in a 1:55.367 lap to grab second, while Guevara was left bottled up in seventh place.
Daniel Holgado of CFMOTO Power Electronics Aspar Team claimed third on the timesheets just 0.233s off the pole benchmark, pushing Celestino Vietti of BETA Tools SpeedRS Team down to fourth. Collin Veijer riding for Red Bull KTM Ajo took fifth, followed by Senna Agius of LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP in sixth, while Guevara was originally slated to lead the third row alongside Jose Antonio Rueda from Red Bull KTM Ajo and Adrian Huertas representing Italtrans Racing Team.
Unfortunately for the frontrunners, the grid order was upended late in the day when stewards handed down a flurry of penalties. Both Gonzalez and Guevara were penalized for moving too slowly on the racing line exiting the pit lane and impeding Daniel Muñoz of Italtrans Racing Team during a flying lap. Those sanctions dropped Gonzalez from his hard-fought second down to fifth on the grid, while Guevara tumbled all the way from seventh to tenth.
That shake-up completely redraws the starting grid for Sunday's Grand Prix in Doha. The front row now features Escrig alongside Holgado and Vietti, with Veijer, Gonzalez, and Rueda forming the second row, and Guevara forced to front the fourth row.
Alongside the championship protagonists, a raft of other riders also picked up grid drops, including Agius, Huertas, Barry Baltus of REDS Fantic Racing, Zonta van den Goorbergh, his Momoven Idrofoglia RW Racing teammate Ayumu Sasaki, and Zurutuza. Ultimately, Escrig celebrates a gorgeous milestone as the 12th different Moto2 polesitter of 2026 and the holder of a new Lusail lap record, but all eyes remain locked on the fierce, razor-thin title fight between Gonzalez and Guevara under the lights.
Moto2
