The 16th round of the 2026 Moto2 championship brought the riders to Mobility Resort Motegi for the Japanese Grand Prix. Coming in, Manuel González held a stable lead of the standings, but Izan Guevara had another standout weekend. Dominating on track saw him inch ever closer to the leader, bringing about a battle for the title coming into the final stretch. Here’s all the Moto2 action.
Following their injuries during practice in Austria, both Collin Veijer and Ángel Piqueras missed this race. Fresh off a second FIM Moto2 European Championship title, Milan Pawelac stepped into the Red Bull KTM Ajo replacing Veijer. Unai Orradre replaced Piqueras at QJMotor – MSi.
The Lap Record Comes Down Throughout the Practice Sessions
Riders wasted no time on Friday when FP1 got underway. They didn’t wait long to find the pace and, within ten minutes, Filip Salač bested the previous lap record. Braking into Turn 11 was proving difficult, with Zonta van den Goorbergh sliding out on entry. Iván Ortolá also caused a yellow flag, sliding out of the exit of Turn 1.
The times continued to fall as the riders settled back into the Motegi track and ultimately, championship leader Manuel González took the top spot with a 1:47.551. Unfortunately, a stone hit the radiator on Izan Guevara’s bike, meaning he lost some running time.
Practice was next up, and riders had their eyes on one thing: advancing to Q2. Guevara had a fixed bike and headed to the top of the times. Celestino Vietti neutralised the running as he went wide in Turn 3 and ultimately crashed. Tony Arbolino also went down, but his time was good enough to secure P4 and advance. It was a session of two stories for the home riders. Mario Aji had a high-speed crash in the closing stages, whereas Ayumu Sasaki secured his place in the top 10.
David Alonso just pipped González to the top spot, bringing the lap record down again to 1:47.508. Practice saw a close grid, with less than a tenth separating the top four. Daniel Muñoz narrowly closed out the advancing 14, with Goorbergh just 0.009 seconds behind and missing out.
Saturday began with a final FP3 session for the riders to get some final preparation ahead of qualifying. The final session was relatively calm, with Arbolino leading the way for most of the session. Guevara, however, found even more pace. He set a new lap record, 1:46.950, and went P1 before sliding out.
A Fourth Pole Position for Guevara
Up next came Q1, with the Moto2 riders battling to advance. As the first laps were set, Luca Lunetta led the way, but he was far off the lap times set during the practice sessions. After having difficulties finding pace, Barry Baltus‘ weekend continued to worsen, sliding out in Turn 5 and creating a yellow flag.
When the track was clear, the riders were going for it. Vietti found the pace again and went to P1 to lead the advancing four. He was initially joined by Urai Orradre, Álex Escrig, and Joe Roberts. However, in the final moments, Goorbergh strung a lap together to go P2 and relegate Roberts. Less than a second separated the top 13 riders, showing how close the Moto2 field is in 2026.
Q2 had a messy start, with both Salač and Muñoz crashing. Whilst the Czech rider was able to return to the track, the Spaniard was unable to continue in the session. Despite the early crash, Salač didn’t let it pressure him, ultimately setting a lap good enough to start P2 in the race.
Vietti had another moment, this time crashing into Turn 10. For the majority of the session, Arbolino held provisional pole position. However, the final laps saw others improve. This pushed the #14 down to P5. Championship leader González secured a P3 start but, after an uneasy start to the session, Guevara bested his title rival to take pole. A 1:46.851 saw Guevara set another new lap record and take a fourth pole of the season, and his first in Motegi.
Guevara Wins and Closes the Championship Gap
After three practice sessions and qualifying complete, it was time to go racing. The action began before the green flag even waved, with Aji crashing on the sighting lap. Fortunately, he was able to recover and head back to the grid for the race start.
In contrast, González suffering a clutch issue on the grid and stalled just ahead of the start. He had to push his #18 LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP machinery to the pit lane and was consequently facing a recovery ride. When they finally got going, Guevara perfected the start, staying ahead of Salač.
On the first lap, Arbolino was on the move. He eventually overtook Salač, who then had to defend from Ortolá. Alonso also bested his teammate, Daniel Holgado, to take P5 as Baltus was also trying to carve through the field. Aside from the championship leader, Escrig was one of the biggest losers at the start as he fell five places in the opening laps.
Guevara was keeping his cool out front, initially switching fastest lap times with González before settling into a rhythm. As the race progressed, the top five started to stretch away from Holgado. Lap 9 saw the steady action turn around, with two crashes in quick succession. First, Sergio García went down under the bridge at Turn 11. Moments later, Taiyo Furosato had an early end to his home race, crashing at Turn 5.
Through the yellow flags, Ortolá had a wobble and consequently lost time, allowing Alonso to close in. Holgado was fading away from the leading pack, and Vietti eventually overtook him for P6 on Lap 10. As the race tipped past the halfway mark, Arbolino was lapping faster than Guevara and patiently waiting for the perfect time to strike. However, the bad luck continued for Aji as he came down in Turn 5, his third crash of the weekend.
In a race where tyre management was key, Vietti was lapping perfectly. Setting three fastest laps in a row, he’d kept his tyres in good condition to close in as the race faced the end. However, whilst he closed in on Alonso, he could not make a move and ultimately finished sixth.
With five laps remaining, only four tenths separated the top three, and they had cleared Ortolá by 1.3 seconds. Turn 12 saw Arbolino go slightly wide, but he was able to maintain position and stay in touch. The #14 then attempted a move up the inside but went wide, allowing Guevara to cut back.
Ortolá managed to defend and keep his fourth place from Alonso. Guevara also defended his position, denying Arbolino another chance to make a move. Ultimately, he took the victory, his third of the year. Arbolino’s second place ended a 34-race streak without a podium, and Salač came home in third to take a fifth podium in 2026. The final lap also saw Deniz Öncü make a move on Holgado to secure his best finish of the season: seventh.
The Top 10 and the Leaders Have Their Say
The top 10 of the Moto2 Japanese Grand Prix is as follows:
- Izan Guevara (Blu Cru Pramac Yamaha Moto2)
- Tony Arbolino (REDS Fantic Racing)
- Filip Salač (OnlyFans American Racing Team)
- Iván Ortolá (QJMotor – MSi)
- David Alonso (CFMoto Aspar Team)
- Celestino Vietti (SpeedRS Team)
- Deniz Öncü (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team)
- Daniel Holgado (CFMoto Aspar Team)
- Alonso López (ItalJet Gresini Moto2)
- José Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo)
“What a weekend, man, Tuesday karaoke, on Sunday podium. I had a funny week here in Japan. I enjoyed a lot, all weekend I knew I was strong. It was incredible and I’m happy.”
~ Filip Salač takes back to back podium finishes.“Honestly, I feel lighter. So for me, today has been a fantastic day, also a fantastic weekend.“
~ Tony Arbolino takes his first podium since the 2025 American Grand Prix.“I’m so happy, it’s an amazing race, I tried to manage the pressure really well. An amazing victory, an amazing opportunity for the championship and now it’s time to enjoy with the team and celebrate this win.”
~ Izan Guevara celebrates a third victory in 2026 and closes the gap to his title rival.
Moto2 leaves Motegi
With Guevara securing a third victory and González out of the points, the title fight has closed up. Now, only 10.5 points separate the top two in the championship standings. Motegi switched the championship up and provided plenty of action. Next up is the Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia. Riders will face the high temperatures of Lombok as they race around the Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit.
Is a repeat of 2025 occurring, with González falling behind in the closing stages of the season? Or can the #18 find his form again? Guevara is hot on his heels, and with six rounds remaining, anything can happen.