Alex Marquez set the pace at Motegi on Friday. Motorsport.com summed it up simply: “Alex Marquez was the fastest man on Friday at the Japanese Grand Prix.” That result shaped an Alex Marquez Motegi practice session that decided who goes straight into Saturday’s Qualifying 2, and who must fight through Q1 first.
All of the leading championship contenders made it through to Q2 directly, despite a session disrupted by a serious technical failure. Home hero Ai Ogura had the worst of it. As Motorsport.com reported, “Home hero Ai Ogura, however, will need to go through the Qualifying 1 session in order to get his weekend back on track, as he failed to make the cut.” His Aprilia dropped oil on the circuit and brought out the red flags, forcing a clean-up of Motegi’s new surface before running could resume.
When the session restarted, in mild conditions of around 23 degrees, the field went back out on a mix of compounds, rather than settling on one obvious choice. Marco Bezzecchi set the first real benchmark of the attacking laps, before Alex Marquez found late form to top the times with a minute left on the clock. Pedro Acosta and Marc Marquez joined Bezzecchi and Alex Marquez in the direct Q2 group.
Detailed First Half Narrative
Motegi’s new surface was always going to take some reading on Friday, and the opening part of the session passed with riders building up speed carefully. Everything changed when Ogura’s Aprilia failed right in front of the pits. Motorsport.com described the moment bluntly: “Ogura’s Aprilia went pop in extrovert fashion, right in front of the pits.” It followed a tough build-up for the home rider, one we outlined in our piece on Ogura’s Motegi challenge, and this was not the recovery he needed.
The failure had consequences for everyone on track. As Motorsport.com put it, “The latest Trackhouse technical failure dropped oil on the circuit, bringing out the red flags”. Marshals needed time to clean the surface properly before the session could continue, and that delay cost valuable minutes for riders still chasing a direct route into Q2.
Once running resumed, the order quickly took shape. Marco Bezzecchi, who looked sharper and more confident than he has for some time, set the pace on the first round of attacking laps. Motorsport.com reported that “Bezzecchi, who looked more confident on track than he had for some time, landed the first blow, edging Acosta and Marc Marquez on the first round of attacking laps.” Championship leader Jorge Martin sat fifth after that opening salvo, a position that would not survive the closing stages.
That early picture, with Bezzecchi ahead of both Marquez and Acosta, hinted at how tight the fight for Q2 would be. None of the three wanted to settle for a time they couldn’t improve, and the closing minutes would show exactly why.
Detailed Second Half Narrative & Drama
The closing stages brought the drama this session had been building towards. Johann Zarco had looked capable of a strong Friday until his final run went wrong. Motorsport.com reported that “Zarco’s did not go well, as he suffered a heavy fall at the final corner”. The lap he had already banked was good enough to keep him inside the top ten regardless, a small consolation after a frightening moment.
Diogo Moreira had his own late scare, bringing out a yellow flag with a crash of his own, yet his earlier time also held up. Between them, Zarco and Moreira kept their top ten places intact, and neither Fermin Aldeguer nor Ai Ogura could find the pace to shift them out.
With the clock running down, Alex Marquez produced the lap that mattered most. Motorsport.com summed it up well: “But Alex Marquez most certainly did find form as he shot to the top of the timesheets with a minute remaining.” It capped an Alex Marquez Motegi practice session that always looked set to end this way, even after the stoppage had threatened to scramble the order.
That late surge settled the direct Q2 places, with Pedro Acosta, Marc Marquez and Marco Bezzecchi all earning spots alongside him. The result keeps the Marquez and Acosta title fight alive and the championship picture crowded at the front. Jorge Martin could not improve on his final run and dropped to eighth, still enough for a direct Q2 spot but short of the pace he showed earlier on.
Factory Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia had a quieter afternoon again, never threatening the top ten at any stage. The title picture stretches back to the summer, when Acosta’s breakthrough win in Austria first put him in this company, and our wider MotoGP talking points cover how the rest of the grid has reacted since. Full details of Friday’s running, including the resumed order after the red flag, are in Motorsport.com’s source practice report.
Player Ratings (home side)
Four riders secured a direct route into Q2, and all four looked like genuine contenders through a session interrupted by a long red flag stoppage.
Alex Marquez (9/10): Topped the times with a minute left, having been the rider everyone else was chasing all session. Looked settled through the stoppage and the restart, and turned Motegi’s unfamiliar surface to his advantage exactly when it mattered.
Marco Bezzecchi (8/10): Landed the first blow of the attacking laps, edging Acosta and Marc Marquez while looking more confident than he has for some time. Couldn’t hold off Alex Marquez late on, but a direct Q2 place is still a strong way to start the weekend.
Pedro Acosta (7/10): Pushed Bezzecchi hard from the first attacking laps and stayed in the leading group all afternoon. A direct Q2 place keeps him exactly where he needs to be in the fight with the two Marquez brothers.
Marc Marquez (7/10): Right with his brother and Bezzecchi from the opening runs, and never looked troubled by the new Motegi surface. A direct Q2 place was the minimum requirement here, and he delivered it without any fuss.
Player Ratings (opponent)
Not everyone had Friday afternoons to enjoy. Here is how the rest of the named riders fared, from a home hero in trouble to a factory Ducati man short of answers.
Ai Ogura (4/10): A miserable home practice, his Aprilia dropping oil on the circuit and triggering the red flags that held everyone up. He never recovered the lost track time and now faces Q1 on home soil, exactly the start he didn’t want.
Jorge Martin (6/10): Fifth after the first attacking laps, the championship leader could not find the improvement he needed on his final run and settled for eighth. Enough for a direct Q2 place, but not the Friday he will have wanted at Motegi.
Johann Zarco (6/10): A heavy fall at the final corner looked costly in the moment, yet the lap he had already banked was good enough to hold on to a top ten spot. Credit for banking the time before the crash arrived.
Diogo Moreira (6/10): Brought out a late yellow flag with a crash of his own but still kept his top ten position intact. A mixed afternoon, with the earlier lap time mattering far more than the late scare.
Fermin Aldeguer (5/10): Couldn’t find the pace to shift Zarco or Moreira out of the top ten, leaving him just outside the group that matters heading into Saturday’s session.
Francesco Bagnaia (5/10): The factory Ducati rider never threatened the top ten all session, a quiet Friday by his own high standards and one he will want to leave behind before qualifying.
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