Live updates for the Japanese MotoGP race at Motegi.
Live updates for the Japanese MotoGP race at Motegi.
© Gold and Goose

MotoGP Japan, Race LIVE: Marc Marquez vs Aprilia at Motegi

Live race updates for the 2026 Japanese MotoGP at Motegi.

Live coverage from Sunday's Japanese MotoGP race at Motegi.

Key Moments:

  • Tyre choice the big talking point for the grand prix.
  • Motegi warm-up: FULL RESULTS
  • Marc Marquez leads warm-up, all riders try hard rear for the first time,

Race Start:

  • 2:00pm (local) / 6:00am (UK) - Japanese Grand Prix (24 laps).

MotoGP title leaders Jorge Martin and Marc Marquez will start first and second on the grid in this afternoon’s Japanese Grand Prix.

Martin leads Marquez by a reduced seven points after the reigning champion won the Sprint. 

Meanwhile, Martin battled late-race tyre issues, then was demoted from second to third by a post-race penalty for exceeding track limits.

However, the Aprilia star got the better of Marquez in qualifying, smashing the lap record on the new Japanese asphalt. 

The front row is a replica of the Red Bull Ring with KTM’s Austrian winner Pedro Acosta in third.

Acosta and Fabio di Giannantonio were taken out by Alex Marquez on lap one of the Sprint, with the Gresini rider given a double long lap penalty for today's race.

Tyre choice will be a big question mark for the Grand Prix, with Michelin withdrawing the soft rear option and recommending the hard, which no one had used before Sunday.

04 Oct 2026
06:04
Lap 1

Jorge Martin leads lap one but how much should he push on the hard rear? No-one really knows! 

Positions on lap 1:

1. Jorge Martin 13 laps  
2. Marc Marquez +0.387s  
3. Marco Bezzecchi +0.563s  
4. Alex Marquez +0.959s  
5. Pedro Acosta +1.506s  
6. Enea Bastianini +1.719s  
7. Raul Fernandez +2.102s  
8. Ai Ogura +2.367s  
9. Francesco Bagnaia +2.468s  
10. Diogo Moreira +2.754s  
11. Johann Zarco +3.204s  
12. Fabio Di Giannantonio +3.427s  
13. Luca Marini +3.481s  
14. Fabio Quartararo +3.901s  
15. Brad Binder +3.975s  
16. Fermin Aldeguer +4.153s  
17. Franco Morbidelli +4.645s  
18. Maverick Viñales +4.964s  
19. Toprak Razgatlioglu +5.383s  
20. Jack Miller +5.548s  
21. Somkiat Chantra +5.653s  
22. Alex Rins +5.952s

06:02
Start

Pole man Jorge Martin holds off Marc Marquez at Turn 1, Marco Bezzecchi slots into third ahead of Alex Marquez and Pedro Acosta.

06:01
Warm-up lap

The warm-up lap begins.

05:57
Official: All riders on the hard rear

There is no last-minute gamble: All riders will use the medium front and hard rear tyres.

05:56
Tardozzi speaks

Ducati team manager Davide Tardozzi underlines that it's important for Marc Marquez to maximise points today, given next weekend in Indonesia could be a tough event.

05:49
"Still some doubt" everyone will race the hard

Trackhouse Aprilia team principal Davide Brivio says he has "some doubts" about whether everyone really will use the hard tyre - let's see if anyone makes a last-minute change to the medium on the grid.

For those further back, if they didn't have any blistering issues this weekend, it's worth a gamble.

After all, some riders were still planning to race the soft after the Sprint, including Yamaha's Fabio Quartararo.

05:44
Weather

It's clouded over ahead of the race, with a slim chance of rain midway through the race.

05:36
Riders head to the grid

Pit lane opens and riders head to the grid.

Everyone is currently on the medium front tyre and hard (stiffer construction) rear tyre.

05:33
Points ahead of the race

Jorge Martin leads Marc Marquez by just seven points...

MotoGP title chase after Motegi Sprint: Points per race (top 8 riders).
MotoGP title chase after Motegi Sprint: Points per race (top 8 riders).
© Peter McLaren
05:25
Starting Grid & Penalties

Penalties

Double long lap penalties for Alex Marquez (causing an opening lap Sprint accident) and Johann Zarco (trying to restart at the side of the track in warm-up).

Starting grid:

Row 1:    Jorge Martin (pole), Marc Marquez, Pedro Acosta            
Row 2:    Marco Bezzecchi, Alex Marquez, Fabio Di Giannantonio            
Row 3:    Enea Bastianini, Raul Fernandez, Diogo Moreira            
Row 4:    Johann Zarco, Ai Ogura, Fabio Quartararo            
Row 5:    Francesco Bagnaia, Franco Morbidelli, Somkiat Chantra            
Row 6:    Luca Marini, Brad Binder, Fermin Aldeguer            
Row 7:    Maverick Viñales, Jack Miller, Alex Rins            
Row 8:    Toprak Razgatlioglu.
 

05:24
Tyres

The big pre-race decision is rear tyre choice, with Michelin removing the soft and recommending the hard - which hadn't been used all weekend - after blistering on the new asphalt in the Sprint.

However, the medium rear is also still available for the grand prix. 

The extended 20-minute morning warm-up session saw all riders try the hard rear for the first time.

Sprint winner Marc Marquez was fastest on the hard rear, followed by the Aprilias of Marco Bezzecchi and title leader Jorge Martin on the medium.

 

05:08
Good morning.

The Japanese MotoGP race at Motegi starts in just under an hour.

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