Álex Márquez set a Motegi lap record to lead Friday afternoon MotoGP Practice at the Japanese Grand Prix, beating Pedro Acosta by 0.076 seconds and Marc Márquez by 0.100.
The BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP rider recorded a 1:42.811 on his final flying lap. That secured direct passage to Saturday’s Qualifying 2 session, while home rider Ai Ogura finished 15th and will have to progress through Q1.
Márquez delivers on final flying lap
The lead changed repeatedly during the timed Practice session, which determines the 10 riders who advance directly to Q2. Marc Márquez, Acosta and Fermín Aldeguer all occupied first place at different stages before Álex Márquez moved ahead at the end.
Álex Márquez’s 1:42.811 established a new outright lap record at Mobility Resort Motegi. Acosta finished second for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 0.076 seconds behind, after holding the lead earlier in the session.
Reigning world champion Marc Márquez completed the top three for Ducati Lenovo Team. He was 0.100 seconds off his brother’s time and 0.024 behind Acosta.
Marc Márquez had led FP1 earlier on Friday with a 1:44.073, ahead of championship rivals Jorge Martín and Marco Bezzecchi. Álex Márquez was fourth in that opening session before setting the afternoon pace.
Bezzecchi fourth as Bastianini puts KTM fifth
Bezzecchi placed fourth for Aprilia Racing, 0.218 seconds behind the leader. Enea Bastianini took fifth, giving KTM two riders among the leading five alongside Acosta.
Fabio Di Giannantonio secured sixth for Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team with a late improvement. Fabio Quartararo followed in seventh as the highest-placed Yamaha rider.
Championship leader Martín advanced directly to Q2 in eighth for Aprilia. The top two riders in the standings arrived in Japan separated by 12 points at the start of Round 16.
Late crashes do not dislodge Honda pair
Diogo Moreira and Johann Zarco completed the top 10 for Honda despite both crashing late in the session. Zarco fell at the final corner, bringing out yellow flags during the closing runs. MotoGP reported that he was unhurt.
Moreira then crashed at Turn 5. MotoGP also reported that he was unhurt, and his earlier lap remained sufficient for ninth. Zarco retained 10th and the final direct Q2 place.
The 10 riders advancing directly were Álex Márquez, Acosta, Marc Márquez, Bezzecchi, Bastianini, Di Giannantonio, Quartararo, Martín, Moreira and Zarco.
Ogura interruption precedes Q1 result
The session was stopped by a red flag shortly after it began when Ogura’s Trackhouse motorcycle suffered a mechanical failure at the pit-lane exit. Action resumed after a cleanup, but the Japanese rider was unable to reach the top 10.
Ogura ended Practice in 15th and faces Q1 at his home Grand Prix. Aldeguer narrowly missed direct advancement in 11th, while Francesco Bagnaia finished 16th and Luca Marini was 17th.
The margins extended well beyond the Q2 cutoff. Eighteen riders completed the session within one second of Álex Márquez, reflecting the tight order on Motegi’s resurfaced track.
Nakagami ruled out after FP1 crash
Japanese rider Takaaki Nakagami took no part in the afternoon session after being ruled out of the rest of the weekend. MotoGP said Nakagami was sidelined following a crash during FP1, ending his wildcard appearance at his home event.
His withdrawal came as the Japanese Grand Prix opened the 16th round of the 2026 MotoGP season. The event runs from October 2 to 4 at Mobility Resort Motegi.
Q1 pressure builds for Saturday
Bagnaia, Ogura, Aldeguer and Marini will be among the riders contesting Q1 on Saturday. Only the two fastest riders in that session will move into Q2, where the final qualifying positions will be decided.
Saturday’s MotoGP action is scheduled to begin at 8:35 a.m. local time. Álex Márquez and the other nine direct qualifiers will bypass Q1 after a Practice session in which only 0.100 seconds separated the fastest three riders.
