03:25
Francesco Bagnaia is currently on pole with a 1m 43.341s. The Motegi pole record is Acosta's 1m 43.018s from 2024.
Marc Marquez, final practice crash, 2025 Japanese MotoGP
2025 Japanese MotoGP, Motegi: Sprint + reaction as it happened
Live updates from Saturday’s qualifying and Sprint race at 2025 Japanese MotoGP at Motegi, where Marc Marquez has his first chance to win this year’s world championship.
The Ducati Lenovo rider returns to Japan, scene of past title glory with Honda, holding a 182-point lead over younger brother Alex.
While Marc Marquez can’t be crowned champion in today's Sprint, he will wrap up his first MotoGP title since 2019 if he holds an advantage of at least 185 points over Alex on Sunday afternoon.
Marc or Gresini Ducati’s Alex are now the only riders still in world championship contention, with Francesco Bagnaia slipping 275 points behind his team-mate.
The Italian – winner of last year’s Japanese Grand Prix - now has a fight on his hands to hold third place, with Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi just eight points adrift after a brilliant 1-2 (Sprint-GP) weekend in Misano.
Bezzecchi rebounded from a pair of Friday morning falls to lead day one at Motegi from KTM's 2024 pole qualifier Pedro Acosta and Marc Marquez.
Bagnaia was back on form and cautiously optimistic about the ‘solutions’ found at the Misano test, but Alex Marquez could only manage 15th and will be taking part in Qualifying 1.
Saturday’s schedule:
10:10am (local) - MotoGP FP2
10.50am (local) - MotoGP Qualifying
3pm (local) - MotoGP Sprint
27 Sep 2025
03:24
5mins to go and riders begin to peel out of the pits for their final run. Acosta is still hoping his number 1 KTM can be repaired, but the clock is ticking.
03:22
Qualifying order after the first run:
- Francesco Bagnaia
- Marc Marquez
- Fabio Quartararo
- Marco Bezzecchi
- Raul Fernandez
- Luca Marini
- Joan Mir
- Alex Marquez
- Fabio di Giannantonio
- Johann Zarco
- Franco Morbidelli
- Pedro Acosta (no time)
03:21
Fabio Quartararo pulls off his now expected time attack magic to snatch 3rd for Monster Yamaha at the end of his opening run.
03:21
Is Pecco back? Francesco Bagnaia's second flying lap is a scorcher, and he jumps ahead of Marquez for provisional pole.
03:19
The first flying laps are in, and it's a Ducati Lenovo one-two with Marc Marquez ahead of Francesco Bagnaia with a 1m 43.4s.
Dorna pit lane reporter Jack Appleyard says it's throttle issue for Acosta.
03:18
On track, Marc Marquez is chasing brother Alex.
03:18
Problem for 2024 pole qualifier Pedro Acosta
Pedro Acosta has some kind of issue, hitting the right side of his handlebar with his hand before pitting at the end of his out lap.
03:15
Pit lane opens and the 15-minute pole position shootout is underway at Motegi.
03:13
Qualifying 2 line-up:
- Marco BEZZECCHI
- Pedro ACOSTA
- Marc MARQUEZ
- Joan MIR
- Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO
- Luca MARINI
- Francesco BAGNAIA
- Fabio QUARTARARO
- Raul FERNANDEZ
- Johann ZARCO
- Franco MORBIDELLI
- Alex MARQUEZ
03:08
Qualifying 1 over. Franco Morbidelli and Alex Marquez graduate to Q2.
The other riders will line-up as follows from 13th on the grid onwards: Ogura, Miller, Aldeguer, Oliveira, Martin, Binder, Rins, Nakagami, Bastianini, Chantra and Vinales.
03:07
Replays show Brad Binder losing the front of his KTM through the fast left-handers after the tunnel, sending his RC16 towards pit entry.
03:06
Crashes for Brad Binder, Alex Rins
Brad Binder - at high speed - and Alex Rins crash in separate accidents, both riders okay.
03:05
Alex Marquez sets 3 red sectors, loses a little in the last sector, but does enough to take second from Ogura. But can he hold onto it?
03:03
Jack Miller puts Pramac into second, Aldeguer crashes, Alex Marquez takes second, then Morbidelli goes to the top!
So it's now Morbidelli and Ogura in the transfer places.
2mins to go.
03:02
After a pit stop, riders begin their final run.
Rookie Fermin Aldeguer jumps to second place behind Ogura, pushing Morbidelli to 3rd.
Aldeguer's team-mate Alex Marquez is now down to 5th.
02:58
Halfway through Qualifying 1 and it's still Ogura and Morbidelli holding the 2 transfer places for Qualifying 2.
- Ai Ogura
- Franco Morbidelli
- Alex Marquez#
- Jorge Martin
- Fermin Aldeguer
- Jack Miller
- Brad Binder
- Alex Rins
- Takaaki Nakagami
- Miguel Oliveira
- Enea Bastianini
- Maverick Vinales
- Somkiat Chantra
02:56
This is a big session for Alex Marquez in terms of delaying brother Marc's title celebrations, but he can't match the pace of Ai Ogura and Franco Morbidelli in the early stages of Qualifying 1.
02:51
Qualifying 1 begins!
Rider line-up:
Fermin ALDEGUER
Enea BASTIANINI
Jorge MARTIN
Ai OGURA
Alex MARQUEZ
Franco MORBIDELLI
Brad BINDER
Somkiat CHANTRA
Alex RINS
Jack MILLER
Takaaki NAKAGAMI
Miguel OLIVEIRA
Maverick VIÑALES
02:45
Japanese MotoGP: Final Practice
02:39
Marc Marquez is back on track for the closing minutes, but has now been pushed to 3rd behind Pedro Acosta and a surprise lap from home rookie star Ai Ogura (also on used tyres).
02:36
5mins to go and KTM's Pedro Acosta replaces Marc Marquez at the top of the final practice timesheets.
02:35
Pictures: Marc Marquez frustrated with Motegi marshals
Photos of Marc Marquez getting frustrated with the Motegi marshals, who almost drop his GP25 as they try to retrieve it from the Turn 5 gravel in final practice.
Marquez takes over and pushes it out himself:
Marc Marquez, final practice crash, 2025 Japanese MotoGP
Marc Marquez, final practice crash, 2025 Japanese MotoGP
Marc Marquez, final practice crash, 2025 Japanese MotoGP
02:29
The top 13 riders are on the soft rear, with Raul Fernandez fastest of those on the medium rear ahead of KTM riders Brad Binder and Enea Bastianini.
Yamaha riders Alex Rins and Fabio Quartararo are only 21st and 22nd.
02:27
Francesco Bagnaia is now up to second place, just 0.017s behind Marquez.
