RECAP OF THE FIRST DAY OF MOTOGP AT MOTEGI
A surprising Bagnaia kicks off the weekend on top
Francesco Bagnaia kicked off proceedings in Japan in commanding style, topping the opening practice with a 1’44.857. After difficult weekends in Barcelona and Misano, the #63 immediately looked back to his best, edging out Jorge Martin and current Championship leader Marc Marquez.
Bagnaia was the first to dip into the 1’44s and stayed in control for much of the session until Marquez briefly took over with 15 minutes left. The Ducati rider responded nine minutes from the end, regaining the advantage and showing renewed confidence after recent setbacks. Both factory Ducatis looked strong, but it was Bagnaia who closed out FP1 on top. Reigning Champion Martin improved late to secure P2 ahead of Marc, while Fabio Di Giannantonio claimed fourth, narrowly ahead of Luca Marini – the leading Honda at their home Grand Prix.
Franco Morbidelli finished sixth but suffered a crash at Turn 5 in the closing stages. Soon after, Jack Miller also fell in similar fashion, though he still managed P8. Splitting the pair was Pedro Acosta, the fastest KTM. Somkiat Chantra enjoyed his best outing of 2025 so far, taking ninth as second-best Honda, with Miguel Oliveira completing the top ten.
The session was not without early drama. Marco Bezzecchi went down at Turn 11 on the brakes, while Raul Fernandez crashed at Turn 8, both incidents happening within their opening laps. Bezzecchi’s struggles continued as he crashed again at Turn 5 later on. The closing moments also brought a fall for Enea Bastianini at Turn 10. For Fabio Quartararo it was a session to forget, ending up 16th, just behind Alex Marquez, second in the standings coming into the weekend.
Different story in Free Practice 2
After two crashes in FP1, Marco Bezzecchi bounced back in spectacular fashion, emerging as the fastest rider in Friday’s Practice session with a 1:43.623. Pedro Acosta came within 0.066s to finish second, while Marc Marquez salvaged third with a late charge after spending much of the session outside the top 10.
Meanwhile, the first title-clinching opportunity of the year got even more intriguing as Alex Marquez ended the day P15, meaning the #73 faces Q1 for the first time this season.
The session began with more misfortune for Aprilia, as Jorge Martin fell at Turn 5. After 15 minutes, the morning’s top trio, Bagnaia, Martin, and Marc Marquez, found themselves all the way down in 20th to 22nd. Midway through, the factory Ducatis began to climb back, moving into P11 and P13, while Alex Marquez languished at the bottom in 23rd. Fabio Quartararo briefly led the way with a 1’44.044, followed by Bezzecchi and Acosta, before Martin’s day worsened with another crash at Turn 7. Moments later, Alex Marquez also hit the gravel at Turn 9.
As the clock ticked down, Luca Marini put Honda top on home soil before Bezzecchi reset the benchmark. Acosta immediately bettered it, while Chantra sneaked into the top 10. Bagnaia and both Marquez brothers continued to fight for top-10 positions, Bagnaia leaping to P1 at one stage before sliding to P7 by the flag. Marc Marquez finally delivered when it mattered, moving into P3 with just minutes left.
The drama extended into the final seconds: Alex Marquez’s last attempt was deleted, consigning him to Q1. Quartararo produced a strong late effort to climb to P8, while Johann Zarco’s last-lap surge secured P10, nudging Fermin Aldeguer out of the Q2 places.
When the dust settled, Joan Mir’s late brilliance earned him P4, ahead of Di Giannantonio in fifth. Marini secured sixth, followed by Bagnaia, with Quartararo, Raul Fernandez, and Zarco completing the automatic Q2 spots.
A thrilling opening day in Japan leaves the stage perfectly set for Saturday, with questions mounting over whether Marc Marquez can wrap up the title this weekend.
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