In what could only be described as an unusual session at the Motul Grand Prix of Japan, Marco Bezzecchi leads the top ten into Q2. Despite crashing twice in the morning session, the Italian came out ahead with a lap time of 1:43.193. However, he wasn’t the only rider to have a double crash on Friday. Read on to find out how the MotoGP Practice session fared and who else has advanced straight into Q2 at Motegi.
Early Challenges for Bagnaia and Martín
After his performance this morning in Free Practice 1, Francesco Bagnaia looked to build on that momentum. The same was true for Jorge Martín, who achieved his best session result since joining Aprilia. An hour on the clock and riders rushed out of the pit lane, knowing that every minute would count. However, Bagnaia came in a few minutes later, cruising through slowly. His teammate, Márquez, had a very scrappy lap as he almost lost control of the bike in Turn 3. The #93 returned to the Ducati Lenovo Team garage shortly after. With a third of the session complete, Fermín Aldeguer and Franco Morbidelli were the only two Ducati constructor riders in the top ten.
This Ducati bike has experienced various electronic issues this season, but it appears that this was not the case as engineers raced against the clock to send both riders back out. Raúl Fernández also seemed to have technical issues, being escorted down the service road back to the Trackhouse Racing garage. Martín also took a bit of a detour, coming off the throttle into Turn 5 before sliding into the gravel trap. With fifteen minutes of the session done, only four remained out on the track. Meanwhile, the top three from the morning session sat in the last three places on the timeboard.
Hot and Cold Track Conditions Impact Set Up Strategies
At the beginning of the session, it was hot and humid, providing slippy conditions and less grip on the track. Riders struggled to find confidence in the front end of their machines or to prevent rear tyre sliding. Some were finding a little more grip as the session reached the halfway mark. However, there was still a very mixed selection of riders in the top ten, with Fabio Quartararo topping the board. The #20 Monster Energy Yamaha bike was followed by Marco Bezzecchi’s Aprilia Racing and Pedro Acosta’s Red Bull KTM Factory Racing machines. The decision to go in early and switch up tyres clearly had paid off in dividends.
However, some still suffered and struggled in the sweltering conditions. Jack Miller went off-roading into the gravel with Brad Binder following behind. Martín came off for a second time in the session at Turn 7. Álex Márquez, who had been sitting in the garage for a long time waiting for set-up tweaks, finally came out only to wash up in Turn 9.
Final Rush Puts the Pressure On
In the last third of the session, the sun set on the Motegi horizon, cooling the track rapidly. Crunch time for the final flying laps began as all constructors were represented in the top ten. It finally looked like something was happening for Bagnaia as he jumped up into the top ten, while M. Márquez sat just outside in eleventh. The #93 and his brother are the only two riders on the grid who have successfully made it through to Q2 every race weekend this season. The streak remained for M. Márquez, while Á. Márquez was knocked down to fifteenth.
At this point, it was anyone’s guess who would make it in the top ten. Quartararo looked to be on a mega lap before his bike threatened to buck him off. The Frenchman gave a monumental effort to keep upright, using the gravel trap and grass to his advantage as he rode back out. The yellow flags came out as Turn 9 claimed another victim, with Morbidelli crashing for the second time of the day. In the final five minutes, Miller crashed in Turn 5, making it his second time of the day. Acosta crashed shortly after finishing his best lap, smashing his KTM in the process. In what was an epic effort for Friday, Somkiat Chantra ended it in the gravel at Turn 2.
As a reminder, this is supposedly M. Marquez’s weekend. If the script plays out as expected, he will be crowned the 2025 MotoGP World Champion, provided he outscores his brother by 3 points. Speaking of A. Márquez, the #73 rider has another title that he could claim for himself if he ends the Japanese GP weekend 185 points clear in the Independent Rider Championship. There’s a lot at stake, so a near-perfect qualifying round is crucial. However, we’ve had some excellent performances from the Honda, Aprilia and KTM constructors. With the surprising Q2 advancers already having a head start, is there someone who could rattle the results come Sunday?