2025 Japanese MotoGP, Motegi - Friday Practice Results
Friday practice results from the 2025 Japanese MotoGP at Motegi, round 17 of 22.
Marco Bezzecchi emerges fastest duirng a hectic Friday afternoon practice for the 2025 Japanese MotoGP at Motegi.
After two falls this morning, the Aprilia star edged out KTM’s Pedro Acosta to lead the afternoon hour.
Marc Marquez, looking to wrap up the 2025 title on Sunday, experienced his toughest Friday of the season before vaulting from 17th to 3rd in the final minutes.
Team-mate Francesco Bagnaia - fastest on his tweaked GP25 in FP1 - also fought back from a difficult start to the afternoon to claim direct Qualifying 2 access.
Read more: 2025 Japanese MotoGP: Marco Bezzecchi tops chaotic Practice, Alex Marquez in Q1
Between them were Honda riders Joan Mir and Luca Marini, plus VR46’s Fabio di Giannantonio.
Fabio Quartararo was the leading Yamaha in eighth ahead of Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse) and LCR’s Johann Zarco.
The top ten for direct Qualifying 2 access were covered by just half-a-second at the chequered flag.
Alex Marquez, the only rider who can prevent brother Marc winning the title on Sunday, was among those to miss out, sending him into Saturday’s Qualifying 1 for the first time this season.
The Gresini rider was left in 15th but only 0.591s from Bezzecchi.
2025 Japanese MotoGP, Motegi - Practice Results | ||||||
| Pos | Rider | Nat | Team | Time/Diff | Lap | Max |
| 1 | Marco Bezzecchi | ITA | Aprilia Racing (RS-GP25) | 1'43.193s | 25/27 | 316k |
| 2 | Pedro Acosta | SPA | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +0.136s | 19/19 | 319k |
| 3 | Marc Marquez | SPA | Ducati Lenovo (GP25) | +0.167s | 20/22 | 316k |
| 4 | Joan Mir | SPA | Honda HRC Castrol (RC213V) | +0.168s | 20/22 | 317k |
| 5 | Fabio Di Giannantonio | ITA | Pertamina VR46 Ducati (GP25) | +0.198s | 20/21 | 314k |
| 6 | Luca Marini | ITA | Honda HRC Castrol (RC213V) | +0.310s | 22/23 | 315k |
| 7 | Francesco Bagnaia | ITA | Ducati Lenovo (GP25) | +0.346s | 17/20 | 313k |
| 8 | Fabio Quartararo | FRA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +0.401s | 26/26 | 311k |
| 9 | Raul Fernandez | SPA | Trackhouse Aprilia (RS-GP25) | +0.473s | 21/22 | 313k |
| 10 | Johann Zarco | FRA | Castrol Honda LCR (RC213V) | +0.541s | 22/22 | 317k |
| 11 | Fermin Aldeguer | SPA | BK8 Gresini Ducati (GP24)* | +0.549s | 19/21 | 311k |
| 12 | Enea Bastianini | ITA | Red Bull KTM Tech3 (RC16) | +0.550s | 19/22 | 314k |
| 13 | Jorge Martin | SPA | Aprilia Racing (RS-GP25) | +0.591s | 15/20 | 314k |
| 14 | Ai Ogura | JPN | Trackhouse Aprilia (RS-GP25)* | +0.591s | 19/20 | 314k |
| 15 | Alex Marquez | SPA | BK8 Gresini Ducati (GP24) | +0.591s | 16/20 | 316k |
| 16 | Franco Morbidelli | ITA | Pertamina VR46 Ducati (GP24) | +0.635s | 21/21 | 314k |
| 17 | Brad Binder | RSA | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +0.662s | 22/24 | 316k |
| 18 | Somkiat Chantra | THA | Idemitsu Honda LCR (RC213V)* | +0.718s | 22/22 | 315k |
| 19 | Alex Rins | SPA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +0.820s | 18/21 | 312k |
| 20 | Jack Miller | AUS | Pramac Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +0.920s | 19/21 | 315k |
| 21 | Takaaki Nakagami | JPN | Idemitsu Honda LCR (RC213V) | +1.009s | 19/24 | 315k |
| 22 | Miguel Oliveira | POR | Pramac Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +1.461s | 18/23 | 316k |
| 23 | Maverick Viñales | SPA | Red Bull KTM Tech3 (RC16) | +1.608s | 15/21 | 315k |
* Rookie
Official Motegi MotoGP Records:
Best lap: Pedro Acosta, KTM, 1m 43.018s (2024)
Fastest race lap: Jorge Martin, Ducati, 1m 44.461s (2024)
After saving medium front tyres this morning, the preferred compound was fitted this afternoon, alongside either the medium or soft rear tyres.
The change certainly suited rookie Fermin Aldeguer, who quickly shot to the top from 20th this morning, but Ducati’s leading stars struggled.
Aldeguer’s Gresini team-mate Alex Marquez was just 18th in the early stages, with Marc Marquez 20th and factory team-mate Francesco Bagnaia last after being hampered by technical issues.
Alex then suffered a fall, put his GP24 into the top ten on new tyres, but was then pushed back outside the transfer places and couldn’t respond.
Also having a difficult session was Jorge Martin, second this morning after being the only frontrunner to try a late time attack.
After two falls for team-mate Bezzecchi in FP1, Martin suffered the same fate in the afternoon and was 21st before returning with new rubber to a repaired RS-GP.
Quartararo went for an early time attack to put Yamaha fastest before KTM’s Pedro Acosta, Honda’s Luca Marini and Aprilia’s Bezzecchi featured at the top.
Acosta crashed at Turn 1 in the closing minutes, leaving his RC16 heavily damaged.
2025 Japanese MotoGP, Motegi - Free Practice (1) Results | ||||||
| Pos | Rider | Nat | Team | Time/Diff | Lap | Max |
| 1 | Francesco Bagnaia | ITA | Ducati Lenovo (GP25) | 1'44.857s | 14/17 | 316k |
| 2 | Jorge Martin | SPA | Aprilia Racing (RS-GP25) | +0.093s | 16/18 | 311k |
| 3 | Marc Marquez | SPA | Ducati Lenovo (GP25) | +0.102s | 13/17 | 317k |
| 4 | Fabio Di Giannantonio | ITA | Pertamina VR46 Ducati (GP25) | +0.271s | 16/17 | 316k |
| 5 | Luca Marini | ITA | Honda HRC Castrol (RC213V) | +0.302s | 13/18 | 317k |
| 6 | Franco Morbidelli | ITA | Pertamina VR46 Ducati (GP24) | +0.305s | 6/16 | 313k |
| 7 | Pedro Acosta | SPA | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +0.343s | 10/16 | 317k |
| 8 | Jack Miller | AUS | Pramac Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +0.370s | 13/16 | 313k |
| 9 | Somkiat Chantra | THA | Idemitsu Honda LCR (RC213V)* | +0.421s | 14/20 | 311k |
| 10 | Miguel Oliveira | POR | Pramac Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +0.500s | 17/17 | 313k |
| 11 | Marco Bezzecchi | ITA | Aprilia Racing (RS-GP25) | +0.515s | 3/7 | 314k |
| 12 | Joan Mir | SPA | Honda HRC Castrol (RC213V) | +0.566s | 5/15 | 316k |
| 13 | Johann Zarco | FRA | Castrol Honda LCR (RC213V) | +0.642s | 15/17 | 313k |
| 14 | Raul Fernandez | SPA | Trackhouse Aprilia (RS-GP25) | +0.643s | 3/13 | 309k |
| 15 | Alex Marquez | SPA | BK8 Gresini Ducati (GP24) | +0.643s | 11/17 | 316k |
| 16 | Fabio Quartararo | FRA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +0.660s | 11/16 | 310k |
| 17 | Takaaki Nakagami | JPN | Idemitsu Honda LCR (RC213V) | +0.831s | 11/16 | 310k |
| 18 | Ai Ogura | JPN | Trackhouse Aprilia (RS-GP25)* | +0.874s | 14/18 | 311k |
| 19 | Brad Binder | RSA | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +0.893s | 9/18 | 315k |
| 20 | Fermin Aldeguer | SPA | BK8 Gresini Ducati (GP24)* | +0.902s | 14/17 | 314k |
| 21 | Maverick Viñales | SPA | Red Bull KTM Tech3 (RC16) | +0.960s | 5/18 | 316k |
| 22 | Alex Rins | SPA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +1.008s | 14/18 | 315k |
| 23 | Enea Bastianini | ITA | Red Bull KTM Tech3 (RC16) | +1.009s | 12/15 | 313k |
* Rookie
Official Motegi MotoGP Records:
Best lap: Pedro Acosta, KTM, 1m 43.018s (2024)
Fastest race lap: Jorge Martin, Ducati, 1m 44.461s (2024)
Francesco Bagnaia receives a welcome boost by leading opening practice for the 2025 Japanese MotoGP at Motegi.
The Ducati Lenovo rider finished 0.093s ahead of Aprilia's Jorge Martin, who made a late switch to new rubber, and title leader Marc Marquez.
Marc Marquez gets his first chance to win this year’s world championship in Japan.
The Ducati Lenovo rider holds a 182-point lead over younger brother Alex and, while Marc can’t be crowned champion in the Sprint, he will wrap up his first title since 2019 if he holds an advantage of at least 185 points on Sunday afternoon.
Martin's team-mate Marco Bezzecchi suffered two falls and had to sit out much of the session. Jack Miller, Franco Morbidelli, Enea Bastianini and Raul Fernandez also tested the gravel traps this morning.
Joan Mir and home rookie star Ai Ogura are back in action after missing the Misano test due to injuries in the San Marino race weekend.
HRC test rider Takaaki Nakagami, who injured knee ligaments when he was taken down at Brno, is the second home rider on track this weekend.
Ducati has won all five races held at Motegi since Marc Marquez’s 2019 victory for Repsol Honda, courtesy of Jack Miller (2022 GP), Jorge Martin (2023 Sprint & GP) and Francesco Bagnaia (2024 Sprint & GP).
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