With five manufacturers in the top six and a mixed-up grid, Sunday’s race is shaping up to be unmissable. Bagnaia starts from pole — but with Mir, Márquez, and Acosta breathing down his neck, the fight is far from over.

Qualifying 1

From the outset, it was Ai Ogura and Morbidelli who looked most in control. The pair quickly established themselves as the early pace setters, holding onto the top two positions through the halfway mark of the session. Morbidelli, riding with renewed aggression, looked especially sharp as he tried to claw his way back into the top.

Morbidelli Tops Q1 Chaos as Alex Márquez Keeps Title Fight Alive

Franco Morbidelli and Alex Márquez emerged from a dramatic and high stakes Qualifying 1 session to secure their spots in Q2.

Márquez, who was in fifth, dug deep and delivered a blistering lap to slot into second. Just as he looked safe, Morbidelli responded with a lap of his own to go fastest overall, reclaiming control of the session.

With two minutes left, Márquez lit up the timing screens with three red sectors, just enough to push Ogura down to third and secure the final transfer spot.

Late Drama as Binder and Rins Crash

The session wasn’t without its casualties. Brad Binder suffered a high-speed crash through the fast left handers after the tunnel — his RC16 sliding toward pit entry. Moments later, Alex Rins also went down in a separate incident.

Qualifying 2

For Pedro Acosta, Q2 was a session marred by frustration and mechanical woes. While Francesco Bagnaia and Marc Márquez battled it out at the top, the rider could only look on, fighting the clock and a throttle issue that left him sidelined when it mattered most.

Early Drama for Acosta

The drama began almost immediately as Acosta returned to the pits at the end of his out lap, visibly shaking his right hand and tapping his handlebar in frustration. Reports from pit lane confirmed the issue: a throttle problem on his #1 KTM machine.

With the bike in the box and the mechanics scrambling, his hopes of challenging for pole looked slim. The rider thankfully overcame the issues to claim fourth for KTM. He will be joined in the second row by Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli.

Bagnaia Delivers Big

In the meantime, what looked like a pole position for Marc Márquez was flipped on its head in the final seconds. With just one minute to go, Francesco Bagnaia unleashed an all-time lap, smashing the lap record and becoming the first rider to ever dip into the 1:42:00 range at the Japanese circuit. The Ducati rider claimed his second pole of the year, from Márquez who had looked poised to take pole.

With records broken on an exciting Saturday, Sunday’s race at Motegi promises fireworks!