2026 MotoGP Japan, Motegi - Sprint Race Results

Marc Marquez wins the 2026 Motegi Sprint race, with rookie Diogo Moreira promoted to a surprise second place after post-race penalties.

Jorge Martin and Enea Bastianini, just ahead of Moreira in second and third at the chequered flag, were given drop-one-place penalties for exceeding track limits on the final lap - handing Moreira a first-ever MotoGP podium.

Title leader Martin had looked set for a safe second but suddenly lost rear grip in the closing laps. Replays showed his Aprilia shaking due to the tyre issue. He was lucky to finish, with Pecco Bagnaia pitting due to a piece missing from his rear tyre.

• Motegi Sprint: New 2026 MotoGP World Championship standings

Martin, who beat nearest title rival Marc Marquez to a surprise pole position in the morning, lost the lead to the Ducati rider through Turn 1.

Bezzecchi got the better of Pedro Acosta for third, with Alex Marquez then hitting the back of Acosta at Turn 2, taking them both out and bringing down Fabio di Giannantonio.

All riders used the medium front tyre, with only Jack Miller arriving on the grid with the soft rear.

However, fourth on the grid Bezzecchi then made a last-minute switch to the medium rear tyre, which he had used to lead final practice this morning.

The gamble didn’t pay off, at least in terms of performance, although Martin’s woes showed it might still have been the right choice.

* Rookie

Qualifying:

Jorge Martin turns the tables on title rival Marc Marquez with pole position for the 2026 Japanese MotoGP.

Title leader Jorge Martin looked a step behind reigning champion Marc Marquez heading into qualifying, but snatched pole from the Ducati rider in the final run. Red Bull Ring winner Pedro Acosta completes the front row for KTM.

Ai Ogura and Raul Fernandez reached Qualifying 2 by leading Q1, but defending double winner Francesco Bagnaia missed out and will start just 13th.

The 12-lap Motegi Sprint starts at 3pm local time (7am UK).

* Rookie

Official Motegi MotoGP Records:

• Best lap: Alex Marquez, Ducati, 1m 42.811s (2026)
• Fastest race lap: Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati, 1m 44.412s (2025)

Final Practice:

Marco Bezzecchi leads an Aprilia one-two during final practice for the 2026 Japanese MotoGP at Motegi.

Bezzecchi impressed by being fastest on a fresh medium front but old medium rear tyre, while the rest of the top ten ran medium fronts and soft rears.

The session was red-flagged after six minutes to clean up fluid after an engine failure for Franco Morbidelli.

Qualifying 1, for those outside of the top ten on Friday, including Ai Ogura and last year’s double Motegi winner Pecco Bagnaia, will now begin.

* Rookie

Official Motegi MotoGP Records:

• Best lap: Alex Marquez, Ducati, 1m 42.811s (2026)
• Fastest race lap: Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati, 1m 44.412s (2025)

Marc Marquez returns to the scene of his 2025 title triumph chasing Jorge Martin by 12 points in this year’s world championship, after being beaten by the Aprilia rider in both Red Bull Ring races.

However, the pair have both broken clear of Bezzecchi’s team-mate Marco Bezzecchi, who starts this weekend 42-points from the top.

The biggest threat to Martin and Marquez could well come from KTM’s new MotoGP winner Pedro Acosta, who climbed to fourth in the world championship with a well-deserved maiden victory at the Red Bull Ring.

The young Spaniard 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.

The former double champion finally found a sweet spot with the GP25 in Japan, but it proved a flash in the pan, scoring points in just two of the remaining ten races.

Bagnaia returns holding ninth in the world championship, with his only race win this season a Sprint victory at Brno.  The #63 hasn’t been seen on a podium since Brno in June, but could he pull off some Motegi magic once again?

Replacements and wildcards

Maverick Vinales is back for Tech3 KTM after missing the last four rounds due to his ongoing shoulder injuries.

However, Joan Mir remains absent. The HRC rider is continuing his ‘recovery and observation period following medical concerns first raised after the San Marino GP’.

Honda test rider Takaaki Nakagami, who replaced Mir at the Red Bull Ring, was due to take part as a wildcard this weekend. However, Nakagami fractured his collarbone in an out-lap highside at the start of a damp FP1.

Honda WorldSBK rider Somkiat Chantra, who raced in MotoGP with LCR last season, has been given a surprise call-up to ride alongside Luca Marini in the HRC team this weekend.

Honda will use a special 60th anniversary livery on Sunday.

Tyres

Motegi has been completely resurfaced ahead of the 2026 event.

As Michelin has no real-world data from the new asphalt, its engineers have prepared this year’s expanded tyre allocation (three fronts and three rears) ‘using simulations and information collected during previous editions’.

“At the front, the Soft, Medium and Hard retain the same level of stiffness as last year and all use symmetrical compounds,” explained Piero Taramasso, Michelin Motorsport Two-Wheel Competition Manager.

“The Hard, however, features a specific reinforced construction. This is a solution particularly well suited to certain Asian circuits and one that we will also offer at Mandalika.

“At the rear, we have selected a higher level of stiffness than in 2025 to give us an additional margin in view of the uncertainties associated with the new asphalt.

“The Soft and Medium use our standard casing, while the Hard features the reinforced casing that we already offered in Austria.

“We will need to learn very quickly from Friday onwards and carefully monitor how the track evolves. The weather could also play an important role, with relatively cool temperatures forecast and the possibility of rain.”