Marc and Álex Marquez set the pace in the opening day of action at Motegi, with the two brothers topping FP1 and Practice respectively. The MotoGP title contenders also began the Japanese Grand Prix weekend in close company.
Marc led the opening session ahead of championship leader Jorge Martín and Marco Bezzecchi. His younger brother Álex produced a late lap-record effort to top the afternoon Practice session.
Marc Leads a Tricky FP1
Friday morning began in difficult conditions at Motegi, with the freshly resurfaced circuit still damp in places and riders initially cautious about heading onto the track.
As the session developed, conditions improved and Marc Márquez emerged at the front. The reigning World Champion set a 1:44.073 to finish FP1 fastest, with Martín just 0.099 seconds behind in second.
Bezzecchi completed the top three, a further 0.162 seconds behind Marc, keeping all three championship contenders at the sharp end. Álex was fourth, 0.261 seconds off his brother’s benchmark. Johann Zarco and Fabio Quartararo completed the top six. Pedro Acosta, fresh from his maiden MotoGP victory in Austria, began his Japanese Grand Prix weekend with tenth place.
Nakagami Suffers Home GP Setback and Ogura Faces Q1
The opening session was also interrupted by a serious setback for Japanese Wildcard Takaaki Nakagami.
Less than five minutes into FP1, Nakagami was thrown from his Honda and suffered a fracture to his left collarbone. He was subsequently declared unfit for the remainder of the weekend, ending his home Grand Prix before it had properly begun.
The incident came during an already tricky opening period, with the combination of the new surface and damp conditions making the early laps particularly challenging.
Friday also brought disappointment for home favourite Ai Ogura.
After his bike’s mechanical failure brought out the red flag earlier in Practice, Ogura was unable to produce a sufficiently quick lap when it mattered. He ended the session in 15th, meaning he will have to fight through Q1 on Saturday to secure a place in the second qualifying session.
Francesco Bagnaia also endured a difficult afternoon, finishing 16th and facing the same Q1 route. Fermin Aldeguer was 11th, narrowly missing the automatic Q2 places, while Luca Marini ended the session 17th.
Álex Márquez Saves His Best for Last
The afternoon Practice session was considerably more competitive.
The session was briefly stopped by a red flag after Ai Ogura’s Trackhouse Aprilia suffered a mechanical failure at the exit of pit lane, bringing oil onto the circuit. Once the track was cleaned and action resumed, the timesheets repeatedly changed as riders pushed for direct entry into Q2.
Martín, Marc Márquez, Acosta and Bezzecchi all spent time near the front, while several riders who normally occupy the top positions found themselves outside the top ten at various stages.
The final minutes produced the decisive changes. Álex Márquez delivered when it mattered most, setting a 1:42.811 on his final flying lap to take P1 and establish a new all-time lap record at Motegi.
Acosta finished second, just 0.076 seconds behind, while Marc Márquez completed the top three only another 0.024 seconds adrift. Bezzecchi was fourth, meaning the championship’s leading trio all remained firmly in contention at the front.
A Tightly Packed Top Ten
The competitiveness of the session was evident throughout the classification, with 18 riders covered by less than one second. Enea Bastianini produced a strong performance to take fifth for KTM Tech3, while Fabio Di Giannantonio was sixth ahead of Fabio Quartararo.
Martín finished eighth, putting the championship contenders comfortably inside the top ten and securing direct passage to Q2. Diogo Moreira and Johann Zarco completed the top ten despite both riders crashing late in the session.
Zarco went down at the final corner with around four minutes remaining, while Moreira crashed at Turn 5 shortly afterwards. Both riders were okay and their earlier lap times were enough to keep them inside the automatic Q2 positions.
Title Rivals Stay Close
Friday therefore ended with a familiar group at the front, but in a slightly different order from the championship standings.
Marc Márquez led the morning, while Álex Márquez claimed the overall Friday headlines with the new Motegi lap record. Acosta continued his strong form from Austria by finishing second in Practice, and Marc was only 0.100 seconds away from his younger brother’s benchmark.
Most importantly for the championship, none of the leading trio gave their rivals a significant advantage on the opening day. With qualifying and the Sprint still to come, the Japanese Grand Prix is already shaping up to be another closely fought chapter in the 2026 title battle.