Alex Marquez Sets Motegi Lap Record in Friday Practice

Alex Marquez set a new Motegi lap record during Friday practice for the Japanese Grand Prix. The session was punctuated by crashes and a red flag for an oil spill, but all top championship contenders advanced directly to Qualifying 2.

Alex Marquez of BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP shot to the top of the timesheets with a minute remaining, posting a new lap record of 1'42.811. The session was interrupted when Ai Ogura's Aprilia suffered a technical failure, dropping oil on the circuit and bringing out red flags. Johann Zarco suffered a heavy fall at the final corner, interrupting Marco Bezzecchi's lap, while Diogo Moreira brought out a yellow flag with a late crash. Despite the incidents, Zarco and Moreira remained in the top ten. Ai Ogura failed to make the cut for Saturday's Q2 session.

Championship contenders secure Q2 spots

All the leading riders in the title fight secured direct passage to Qualifying 2. Championship leader Jorge Martin, who arrives in Japan with a 12-point advantage over reigning World Champion Marc Marquez, recorded a solid lap for fifth and was comfortably in Q2 despite not improving on his final run. Pedro Acosta, Marc Marquez, and Marco Bezzecchi also secured direct qualification. Bezzecchi had earlier edged Acosta and Marc Marquez on the first round of attacking laps.

The current championship standings highlight the session's importance:

Diogo Moreira and Johann Zarco finished the session in sixth and seventh respectively, securing Q2 spots despite their late incidents.

Others struggle to progress

Several notable riders faced difficulties and will have to contest Qualifying 1. Fermin Aldeguer remained in the Gresini garage with his Ducati undergoing work and was unable to advance with his final effort. Factory Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia, who took pole and won both the Sprint and Grand Prix at Motegi last year, failed to threaten the top ten during Friday practice. Alex Rins on the Yamaha and Luca Marini on the Honda fell off their bikes during the session. Aldeguer and Ogura were ultimately unable to bump Zarco and Moreira out of the Q2 positions with their last efforts.

Session resumes after cleanup

Following the oil spill from Ogura's bike, the session was halted for a cleanup of the new Motegi surface. It resumed after 10 minutes, with riders experimenting with tyre compounds in stable track temperatures of around 23 degrees Celsius. Alex Marquez expressed satisfaction with the team's performance. "I'm really happy with the pace we have," he said. "I think we're in a good position for qualifying."

All top championship contenders made it directly into Saturday's Qualifying 2 session.