07:31
Martin's tyre
Replays show Martin's Aprilia shaking due to the rear tyre issue. He was lucky to finish.
Live updates for all of Saturday's action at the Japanese MotoGP.
© Gold and Goose
MotoGP Japan Sprint - As it happened
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
- Marc Marquez wins from rookie Moreira: FULL RESULTS
- Martin and Bastianini lose 2nd and 3rd to penalties.
- Bagnaia and Martin hit late tyre trouble.
- Marc Marquez leads from Martin.
- Alex Marquez takes out Acosta, di Giannantonio on lap 1.
- Sprint starts at 3pm local time (7am UK).
- Jorge Martin snatches Motegi pole: FULL RESULTS
- Marc Marquez breaks lap record at start of Q2.
- Ogura, Fernandez lead Q1 - Bagnaia misses out.
- Marco Bezzecchi fastest in FP2: FULL RESULTS
- Falls for Aldeguer and Ogura after session restarts.
- 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
10:21
Shock news from Motegi
MotoGP considering mandatory hard tyre as Miller warns of “lottery”
Marc Marquez leads Motegi Sprint, 2026 Japanese MotoGP.
© Gold and Goose
09:38
Marc Marquez talks Motegi Sprint win
Marc Marquez strikes back in Motegi MotoGP Sprint: “Instinct is my strong point”
Marc Marquez, Japanese MotoGP Sprint.
© Gold and Goose
08:47
Acosta loses points chance
With Marco Bezzecchi struggling with his medium-compound rear tyre today, Pedro Acosta feels his first lap crash with Alex Marquez cost him a chance to close in on the Italian for third in the championship.
Full story here.
Pedro Acosta, 2026 MotoGP Japanese Grand Prix, pre-Sprint. Credit: Gold and Goose.
© Gold & Goose
08:21
Alex Marquez penalty
Alex Marquez penalised for Motegi MotoGP Sprint pile-up
Alex Marquez about to clip Pedro Acosta, also bringing down Fabio di Giannantonio. 2026…
© Gold and Goose
07:53
Motegi MotoGP Sprint: Points
Motegi Sprint: New 2026 MotoGP World Championship standings
Jorge Martin, 2026 MotoGP Japanese Grand Prix. Credit: Gold and Goose.
© Gold & Goose
07:31
Motegi MotoGP Sprint: Results
Japanese MotoGP, Motegi - Sprint Race Results
Marc Marquez, 2026 Japanese MotoGP.
© Gold and Goose
07:26
Penalties for Martin & Bastianini!
Jorge Martin and Enea Bastianini have both been given a drop one place penalty for exceeding track limits on the last lap!
Diogo Moreira climbs to 2nd, and his first MotoGP rostrum. Martin is 3rd and Bastianini 4th.
Binder also got the same penalty.
07:25
Bagnaia get 'tyred'
Pecco Bagnaia pits on the last lap with a big piece of his rear tyre missing.
Was that what happened to Jorge Martin?
07:23
Marc Marquez wins the Motegi Sprint
Marc Marquez wins the Motegi Sprint race to cut Jorge Martin's title lead.
Martin is suddenly caught by Enea Bastianini and Diogo Moreira on the last lap but the Aprilia rider just holds them off!
07:20
Long laps
Toprak Razgatlioglu and Brad Binder have got long lap penalties for exceeding track limits.
07:20
Big lap from Marc Marquez
3 to go and Marc Marquez pushes his lead to 1.440s over Jorge Martin.
Bastianini is keeping Moreira at bay for third.
Bezzecchi won't do better than sixth, this is another blow to his title hopes.
07:17
Binder wide
Brad Binder runs wide at Turn 1 and paddles his way through the gravel.
07:15
Moreira
5 to go: Rookie Diogo Moreira, in 4th, is the fastest rider on track. He's having a great race in front of the Honda bosses. He's just over one-second from Enea Bastianini and third place.
07:12
Order halfway through the Sprint
1. Marc Marquez
2. Jorge Martin +0.854s
3. Enea Bastianini +2.291s
4. Diogo Moreira +3.482s
5. Ai Ogura +4.371s
6. Marco Bezzecchi +4.759s
7. Johann Zarco +6.190s
8. Raul Fernandez +6.391s
9. Fabio Quartararo +7.018s
10. Luca Marini +7.401s
11. Francesco Bagnaia +7.768s
12. Fermin Aldeguer +8.130s
13. Brad Binder +8.654s
14. Franco Morbidelli +9.435s
15. Jack Miller +11.291s
16. Toprak Razgatlioglu +11.536s
17. Somkiat Chantra +12.010s
18. Alex Rins +12.297s
19. Maverick Viñales +12.728s
07:11
Ogura passes Bezzecchi
Bezzecchi is now down to 6th.
07:10
Bezzecchi struggling
Lap 5/12: Bezzecchi is struggling on the medium rear tyre and has dropped to fifth.
07:08
Marc Marquez's lead
Lap 3/12: Marc Marquez is 0.8s ahead of Martin, with Enea Bastianini overtaking Bezzecchi for third.
07:05
di Giannantonio walks into an ambulance
Let's hope the VR46 rider is okay.
07:05
End of lap 1
Marc Marquez leads from Jorge Martin, Marco Bezzecchi, Enea Bastianini, Ai Ogura, Diogo Moreira, Johann Zarco and Raul Fernandez.
07:04
Alex Marquez at fault
Replays show Alex Marquez hit the back of Pedro Acosta, with Fabio di Giannantonio also taken down.
07:03
Crash - Acosta out!
Alex Marquez, Fabio di Giannantonio and Pedro Acosta are all down at Turn 2.
07:03
Start
Red lights out and Marc Marquez snatches the lead from Jorge Martin through Turn 1, Marco Bezzecchi ahead of Pedro Acosta for third.
07:01
Warm-up lap
The warm-up lap begins.
06:57
Late tyre change!
It looks like Marco Bezzecchi has switched to the medium rear tyre at the last minute.
Bezzecchi was fastest in final practice on the medium rear and it makes sense to try something different given the likes of Marquez, Martin and Acosta looked quicker than him with the soft rear.