02:28
Bezzecchi best medium
Marco Bezzecchi in fifth is the fastest rider on the medium rear at the moment.
Live updates for all of Saturday's action at the Japanese MotoGP.
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MotoGP Japan LIVE: Red flags in final practice at Motegi
Live updates from all of Saturday's MotoGP action at the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix.
Live coverage of FP2, Qualifying and the Sprint race from the 2026 Japanese MotoGP at Motegi.
Key Moments
- FP2 red-flagged after 6mins due to an engine failure for Morbidelli.
Saturday MotoGP schedule:
10:10am (local) / 2:10am (UK) - MotoGP FP2
10:50am (local) / 2:50am (UK) - MotoGP Qualifying
3:00pm (local) / 7:00am (UK) - MotoGP Sprint
Jorge Martin holds a 12-point MotoGP title lead over Marc Marquez heading into Saturday at the Japanese MotoGP.
The pair have broken clear of Bezzecchi’s team-mate Marco Bezzecchi, who starts this weekend 42 points from the top, while Pedro Acosta climbed to fourth in the world championship with a well-deserved maiden victory at the Red Bull Ring.
Acosta also has a strong record at Motegi, leading in his rookie season, standing on the Sprint podium last year and being a frontrunner until a mistake in the grand prix.
Winner of both of last year’s Motegi races, from pole position, was Pecco Bagnaia… could he pull off some Motegi magic once again?
Maverick Vinales is back for Tech3, and Somkiat Chantra makes a surprise return at HRC.
However, Honda test rider Takaaki Nakagami has been forced to abandon a wildcard entry after being injured on the out-lap of Friday's damp FP1 at his home event.
A resurfaced Motegi means a revised Michelin tyre allocation for this weekend’s Japanese MotoGP - including the reinforced rear construction that troubled Ducati in Austria.
03 Oct 2026
02:27
Marc Marquez fastest
Marc Marquez goes to the top by half a second on his 5th lap with the soft rear.
02:24
FP2 restarts
24mins to go.
02:22
Restart time
Restart time will be 10:23. So just a minute away.
02:21
Lap times
1. Francesco Bagnaia 1m 44.422s
2. Johann Zarco +0.004s
3. Diogo Moreira +0.283s
4. Ai Ogura +0.284s
5. Raul Fernandez +0.361s
6. Pedro Acosta +0.515s
7. Fabio Di Giannantonio +0.579s
8. Marco Bezzecchi +0.605s
9. Luca Marini +0.792s
10. Fabio Quartararo +0.871s
11. Alex Rins +0.979s
12. Marc Marquez +1.133s
13. Enea Bastianini +1.322s
14. Fermin Aldeguer +1.325s
15. Maverick Viñales +1.383s
16. Brad Binder +1.514s
17. Jack Miller +1.651s
18. Jorge Martin +1.838s
19. Somkiat Chantra +1.969s
20. Toprak Razgatlioglu +6.419s
21. Franco Morbidelli +6.889s
Alex Marquez not time set.
02:19
Clean-up underway
Fortunately, unlike earlier in the year, Morbidelli got straight off the track when he realised he had a problem, so hopefully there won't be too much fluid to clean up.
Marshals are currently at Turns 6, 7,8.
02:17
Red flags
Franco Morbidelli has suffered a big engine failure, causing red flags to check the track conditions.
It's the second time there have been red flags due to an engine failure after Ai Ogura on Friday.
02:13
Tyre choice
All riders are starting the 30-minute session on the medium front tyre.
Most riders also have the soft rear tyre, but with Enea Bastianini, Brad Binder, Pedro Acosta, Fermin Aldeguer and Marco Bezzecchi starting on the medium rear.
02:10
FP2 begins
Green lights are on, and final practice begins at Motegi.
02:02
MotoGP FP2 next
Moto2 finishes, and the MotoGP riders are in the pits preparing for final practice.
02:00
Tyres
One of the priorities for final practice will be to gather more tyre data on the new asphalt to determine if the soft rear really can do the grand prix distance on Sunday.
Marc Marquez was very fast on the medium tyre on Friday, while Pedro Acosta was the man to beat on the soft. If the soft doesn't significantly degrade, Marquez won't enjoy an end-of-race benefit from the medium.
As such, Marquez might well focus on laps with used soft this morning to get a better idea of tyre life for the Sprint and GP. The Ducati rider said yesterday that the new surface allows multiple time attacks on the same tyre, underlining the lack of wear.
These were Michelin's notes after Friday:
• New asphalt: Motegi has been fully resurfaced since last year. Some oil remains on the surface, but grip improved steadily throughout Friday as the track cleaned up and more rubber was laid down.
• Tyre allocation and choices: Michelin retained the 2025 front tyre specifications while introducing harder rear compounds. Both the Soft and Medium rear performed well on Friday, delivering strong grip, consistency and sufficient durability for the Sprint.
• Performance: The Soft rear proved particularly effective for time attacks, allowing riders to complete several competitive flying laps and contributing to a new all-time lap record.
• Looking ahead: Both the Soft and Medium rear remain potential options for Sunday’s Grand Prix. The Sprint will provide additional data to confirm their performance and durability over a longer distance.
01:53
Weather
After Friday's damp start, it's bright and sunny on Saturday morning, with two minutes remaining in the Moto2 session.
01:38
Good morning! The Moto2 riders are currently on track for their Saturday morning session.
The first MotoGP action, FP2, starts in just over half an hour, with qualifying just over an hour away.