Marc Marquez has bounced back from a "big mistake" to secure a hoodoo-busting pole position in the last qualifying session at the Australian MotoGP on Phillip Island.
The reigning world champion snared top spot after producing a stunning final lap of one minute and 34.203 seconds on a damp Saturday ahead of the main race on Sunday.
The provisional pole-sitter's result comes as he looks to win his fifth Australian MotoGP and first since 2024.
But the Ducati Lenovo star's qualifying session wasn't all smooth sailing, with Marquez losing his balance at turn four in his first flying lap and crashing into the gravel and grass.
After a frantic pit stop, he rallied to record the largest MotoGP pole-position margin in seven years, finishing ahead of his brother Alex Marquez by a mammoth 1.494 seconds.
"It was a big mistake on that turn four," Marc Marquez told Fox Sports.
"But the team was ready with the other bike. I kept focus. I tried to find the same feeling as free practice. The last lap ... was a good lap."
Johann Zarco rounded out the front row as he looks to win his first Australian MotoGP since 2023.
Australian Jack Miller didn't secure a front-row finish but will start on the second row in fifth position.
Star Jorge Martin and last year's Australian MotoGP champion Raul Fernandez will line up alongside Miller after finishing fourth and sixth respectively.
But whether Martin will race on Sunday is unknown after he suffered a horror crash on turn eight in lap eight of the sprint race.
Martin, who was leading the standings by a mere two points going into the race, was jostling for first place with Marc Marquez, but his afternoon turned when he was stretchered off the track following the ugly fall.
A potential injury could crush his hopes of winning the championship and comes after he suffered a high-speed collision at the 2025 Qatar Grand Prix, which resulted in 11 to 14 rib fractures.
The crash helped the Ducati Lenovo rider win the 13-lap race and moved him to the top of the championship standings, while Alex Marquez came second and Fabio Di Giannantonio finished third.
The results comes ahead of the final race at Phillip Island after the Victorian government rejected a shift to Melbourne's Albert Park, and MotoGP subsequently moved the race to Adelaide starting from November 2027.
AUSTRALIAN MOTOGP QUALIFYING RESULTS:
1. Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo)
2. Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing)
3. Johann Zarco (Castrol Honda LCR)
4. Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing)
5. Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha)
SPRINT RACE RESULTS:
1. Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo)
2. Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing)
3. Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing)
4. Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing)
5. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing)
