Alex Marquez stole the spotlight during Friday Practice at the 2026 Japanese MotoGP Grand Prix, setting the fastest time of the session and establishing a new outright lap record at Motegi.
The BK8 Gresini Racing rider produced a stunning 1:42.811, beating Pedro Acosta by just 0.076 seconds, while Marc Marquez finished third, only 0.100 seconds behind his brother.
With the top three covered by just one tenth of a second, the battle for pole position is shaping up to be extremely close.
Alex Marquez sets a new Motegi lap record
After finishing fourth in FP1 earlier in the day, Alex Marquez stepped up his pace significantly during the afternoon Practice session.
The Spaniard made the most of his Ducati during the decisive time attacks, eventually producing the fastest lap ever recorded around the Japanese circuit.
Behind him, Pedro Acosta once again demonstrated the strength of KTM. The Spaniard finished just 76 thousandths of a second behind Marquez, confirming himself as one of the main contenders heading into Saturday’s qualifying session.
Marc Marquez, who had topped FP1, completed the top three. The factory Ducati rider ended Practice exactly one tenth behind Alex Marquez, keeping himself firmly in contention for pole position.
Red flag interrupts Practice at Motegi
The session was temporarily stopped with just over 51 minutes remaining following a technical issue involving Ai Ogura’s Trackhouse Aprilia.
The Japanese rider’s bike appeared to leave fluid on the circuit near the pit lane exit, prompting race control to show the red flag while marshals cleaned the affected area.
Once the track was declared safe, Practice resumed.
There were also several crashes during the session, with Alex Rins and Luca Marini among the riders hitting the ground during the early stages.
Bezzecchi fourth as Bastianini takes fifth
Behind the leading trio, Marco Bezzecchi finished fourth and was the highest-placed Aprilia rider, ending the session 0.218 seconds away from Alex Marquez’s benchmark.
Enea Bastianini also delivered a strong performance aboard the Tech3 KTM, securing fifth place ahead of VR46 Ducati rider Fabio Di Giannantonio.
Fabio Quartararo put Yamaha seventh on the timesheets, while Jorge Martin secured eighth place with Aprilia.
Completing the top ten — and therefore earning direct access to Q2 — were Diogo Moreira and Johann Zarco.
Bagnaia forced into Q1
One of the biggest surprises of Friday’s Practice session was Francesco Bagnaia’s failure to finish inside the top ten.
The factory Ducati rider was unable to secure a direct place in Q2 and will consequently have to compete in Q1 on Saturday morning.
It could prove to be a significant complication for Bagnaia’s Japanese Grand Prix weekend, particularly on a circuit where the Italian has previously demonstrated strong pace.
Other notable riders will also have to go through Q1, increasing the pressure during Saturday’s opening qualifying session.
MotoGP Japanese GP: Riders directly qualified for Q2
- Alex Marquez – Ducati Gresini – 1:42.811
- Pedro Acosta – KTM – +0.076
- Marc Marquez – Ducati – +0.100
- Marco Bezzecchi – Aprilia – +0.218
- Enea Bastianini – KTM Tech3 – +0.349
- Fabio Di Giannantonio – Ducati VR46 – +0.386
- Fabio Quartararo – Yamaha – +0.419
- Jorge Martin – Aprilia
- Diogo Moreira – Honda LCR
- Johann Zarco – Honda LCR
Alex Marquez therefore ends Friday at Motegi on top, but the tiny gaps between the leading riders suggest that Saturday’s qualifying session could produce an extremely close fight for pole position.