Alex Marquez delivered a stunning performance in Friday afternoon's Practice at the Japanese Grand Prix in Motegi, setting the fastest time of 1'42.811s to comfortably secure a spot in Q2. Meanwhile, Pecco Bagnaia will once again have to navigate Q1 after finishing only 16th.
The Gresini Ducati rider broke the lap record at the Motegi circuit, edging out KTM's Pedro Acosta by 0.076s and his brother Marc Marquez by 0.100s. The Marquez brothers dominated the day, with Marc leading FP1 before Alex took over in Practice. Aprilia's Marco Bezzecchi completed the top four.
For Bagnaia, this result extends his struggles in the 2026 season. The double world champion, who won both races at Motegi last year, has yet to find a competitive rhythm. He now faces a Q1 battle alongside the likes of Fermin Aldeguer, Brad Binder, and Franco Morbidelli. Meanwhile, championship leader Jorge Martin could only manage eighth but still safely advanced to Q2.
Here is the full list of riders who automatically qualified for Q2 and those who will fight in Q1:
Riders in Q2
| Pos | Rider | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alex Marquez | Gresini Ducati | 1'42.811s |
| 2 | Pedro Acosta | Red Bull KTM | +0.076s |
| 3 | Marc Marquez | Ducati Lenovo | +0.100s |
| 4 | Marco Bezzecchi | Aprilia Racing | +0.218s |
| 5 | Enea Bastianini | Red Bull KTM Tech3 | +0.349s |
| 6 | Fabio Di Giannantonio | Pertamina VR46 Ducati | +0.386s |
| 7 | Fabio Quartararo | Monster Yamaha | +0.419s |
| 8 | Jorge Martin | Aprilia Racing | +0.464s |
| 9 | Diogo Moreira | Pro Honda LCR | +0.495s |
| 10 | Johann Zarco | Castrol Honda LCR | +0.574s |
Riders in Q1
| Pos | Rider | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | Fermin Aldeguer | Gresini Ducati |
| 12 | Brad Binder | Red Bull KTM |
| 13 | Raul Fernandez | Trackhouse Aprilia |
| 14 | Franco Morbidelli | Pertamina VR46 Ducati |
| 15 | Ai Ogura | Trackhouse Aprilia |
| 16 | Francesco Bagnaia | Ducati Lenovo |
| 17 | Luca Marini | Honda HRC Castrol |
| 18 | Jack Miller | Pramac Yamaha |
| 19 | Somkiat Chantra | Honda HRC Castrol |
| 20 | Alex Rins | Monster Yamaha |
| 21 | Toprak Razgatlioglu | Pramac Yamaha |
| 22 | Maverick Vinales | Red Bull KTM Tech3 |
With this lineup, Saturday morning's qualifying promises to be intense. Bagnaia must fight his way out of Q1 to keep his podium hopes alive, while Alex Marquez and Acosta will battle for pole position.
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