2026 MotoGP Japan, Motegi - Warm-up Results
Results from an extended warm-up session at the 2026 Japanese MotoGP, where the hard rear tyre was used for the first time this weekend.
Marc Marquez leads an extended warm-up session for the 2026 Japanese MotoGP at Motegi during the first laps of the weekend on the hard rear tyre.
The session was doubled from ten to twenty minutes after Michelin withdrew the soft rear, following blistering for some riders in the Sprint.
The medium rear remains available but needs to be ‘managed’ in the grand prix, with Michelin recommending riders use the hard compound.
But that special heat-resistant tyre, the same as last time in Austria, hadn’t been used at all on Friday and Saturday, hence the extended warm-up.
The tyres used for each rider's best lap time are given in the table below.
2026 MotoGP Japan, Motegi - Warm-up Results | |||||||
| Pos | Rider | Nat | Team | Time/Diff | Tyres (F/R) | Lap | Max |
| 1 | Marc Marquez | SPA | Ducati Lenovo (GP26) | 1'42.957s | S/H | 10/11 | 318k |
| 2 | Marco Bezzecchi | ITA | Aprilia Racing (RS-GP26) | +0.452s | M/M | 11/11 | 320k |
| 3 | Jorge Martin | SPA | Aprilia Racing (RS-GP26) | +0.490s | M/M | 11/11 | 321k |
| 4 | Fabio Quartararo | FRA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +0.661s | M/H | 7/12 | 313k |
| 5 | Ai Ogura | JPN | Trackhouse Aprilia (RS-GP26) | +0.711s | M/H | 8/11 | 323k |
| 6 | Luca Marini | ITA | Honda HRC Castrol (RC213V) | +0.814s | M/H | 12/12 | 320k |
| 7 | Raul Fernandez | SPA | Trackhouse Aprilia (RS-GP26) | +0.846s | M/H | 10/11 | 318k |
| 8 | Enea Bastianini | ITA | Red Bull KTM Tech3 (RC16) | +0.888s | M/H | 10/10 | 320k |
| 9 | Diogo Moreira | BRA | Pro Honda LCR (RC213V)* | +0.894s | M/H | 5/11 | 319k |
| 10 | Pedro Acosta | SPA | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +0.918s | M/H | 11/11 | 319k |
| 11 | Francesco Bagnaia | ITA | Ducati Lenovo (GP26) | +0.925s | M/H | 11/12 | 320k |
| 12 | Johann Zarco | FRA | Castrol Honda LCR (RC213V) | +0.962s | S/H | 10/10 | 320k |
| 13 | Brad Binder | RSA | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +1.193s | M/H | 10/12 | 320k |
| 14 | Jack Miller | AUS | Pramac Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +1.220s | M/H | 10/11 | 312k |
| 15 | Alex Marquez | SPA | BK8 Gresini Ducati (GP26) | +1.296s | S/H | 9/10 | 318k |
| 16 | Maverick Viñales | SPA | Red Bull KTM Tech3 (RC16) | +1.407s | S/H | 11/11 | 315k |
| 17 | Franco Morbidelli | ITA | Pertamina VR46 Ducati (GP25) | +1.409s | M/H | 8/11 | 316k |
| 18 | Alex Rins | SPA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +1.446s | M/H | 10/11 | 311k |
| 19 | Somkiat Chantra | THA | Honda HRC Castrol (RC213V) | +1.573s | S/H | 11/11 | 319k |
| 20 | Fermin Aldeguer | SPA | BK8 Gresini Ducati (GP25) | +1.618s | M/M | 6/10 | 316k |
| 21 | Toprak Razgatlioglu | TUR | Pramac Yamaha (YZR-M1)* | +1.787s | M/H | 6/12 | 310k |
| 22 | Fabio Di Giannantonio | ITA | Pertamina VR46 Ducati (GP26) | +1.948s | M/H | 11/11 | 316k |
* Rookie
Official Motegi MotoGP Records:
- Best lap: Jorge Martin, Aprilia, 1m 42.371s (2026)
- Fastest race lap: Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati, 1m 44.412s (2025)
Jorge Martin leads Marc Marquez by a reduced seven points after the reigning champion won the Motegi 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.
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.
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.
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
