Summary
- Jorge Martín secured pole with a Motegi lap record of 1:42.371.
- Marc Márquez qualified second, just ahead of Pedro Acosta.
- Diogo Moreira led Honda’s challenge in ninth; Francesco Bagnaia was eliminated in Q1.
Jorge Martín delivered a late breakthrough to take pole position for the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix, beating Marc Márquez in Saturday’s qualifying at Motegi. The Aprilia rider set a circuit record of 1:42.371, securing the leading position on the grid for both races of the weekend.
The two championship contenders were separated by 0.110s, with Márquez recording 1:42.481 for Ducati. Pedro Acosta completed a front row featuring three different manufacturers, placing his KTM third with 1:42.493 — only 0.012s behind Márquez.
Marco Bezzecchi qualified fourth on the second factory Aprilia, ahead of Friday pacesetter Álex Márquez and VR46’s Fabio Di Giannantonio. Enea Bastianini took seventh for Tech3, followed by Trackhouse’s Raúl Fernández.
Diogo Moreira was the fastest Honda rider in ninth, narrowly beating LCR teammate Johann Zarco by 0.002s. Ai Ogura and Fabio Quartararo completed the 12 riders who contested Q2.
The result gave Martín the advantage in the qualifying phase of another closely contested MotoGP weekend. Márquez remained within striking distance, while Acosta’s performance put KTM alongside Aprilia and Ducati at the front.
Martín delivers when pole is on the line
Álex Márquez established the opening benchmark in Q2 before his older brother moved ahead. Marc Márquez’s 1:42.481 initially looked strong enough to secure pole, but the final runs brought a decisive improvement from Martín.
The Aprilia rider produced 1:42.371, overturning the provisional order and setting a new Motegi record. Márquez ran wide at Turn 3 during a subsequent attempt and, despite showing competitive early sectors on his final lap, could not reclaim first place.
Acosta improved at the end to secure third, pushing Bezzecchi onto the second row. The top five finished within 0.175s, underlining how little separated the leading riders over a single lap.
Moreira converted his direct passage into Q2 into a third-row starting position. His 1:42.916 put him immediately ahead of Zarco, who qualified tenth despite a crash at Turn 9.
Trackhouse progresses as Bagnaia misses Q2
Ogura and Fernández claimed the two available places in Q2 after an exceptionally close Q1. The Japanese rider recorded 1:42.883, with his teammate just 0.001s slower.
Their progress came at Bagnaia’s expense. The factory Ducati rider posted 1:43.007, but Fernández’s late improvement left him third in Q1 and 13th overall.
Franco Morbidelli qualified 14th, followed by Somkiat Chantra, standing in for Joan Mir at Honda. Chantra finished ahead of teammate Luca Marini, while Brad Binder and Fermín Aldeguer took 17th and 18th.
Maverick Viñales qualified 19th on his return from injury. Jack Miller, Alex Rins and Toprak Razgatlıoğlu completed the order on their Yamahas.
Japanese MotoGP 2026: full qualifying results
| Pos | Rider | Team | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | J MARTÍN | Aprilia | 1:42.371 | — |
| 2 | M MÁRQUEZ | Ducati | 1:42.481 | +0.110 |
| 3 | P ACOSTA | KTM | 1:42.493 | +0.122 |
| 4 | M BEZZECCHI | Aprilia | 1:42.530 | +0.159 |
| 5 | A MÁRQUEZ | Gresini Ducati | 1:42.546 | +0.175 |
| 6 | F DI GIANNANTONIO | VR46 Ducati | 1:42.628 | +0.257 |
| 7 | E BASTIANINI | Tech3 KTM | 1:42.669 | +0.298 |
| 8 | R FERNÁNDEZ | Trackhouse Aprilia | 1:42.741 | +0.370 |
| 9 | D MOREIRA | LCR Honda | 1:42.916 | +0.545 |
| 10 | J ZARCO | LCR Honda | 1:42.918 | +0.547 |
| 11 | A OGURA | Trackhouse Aprilia | 1:42.933 | +0.562 |
| 12 | F QUARTARARO | Yamaha | 1:43.059 | +0.688 |
| 13 | F BAGNAIA | Ducati | 1:43.007 | +0.636 |
| 14 | F MORBIDELLI | VR46 Ducati | 1:43.136 | +0.765 |
| 15 | S CHANTRA | Honda | 1:43.196 | +0.825 |
| 16 | L MARINI | Honda | 1:43.278 | +0.907 |
| 17 | B BINDER | KTM | 1:43.399 | +1.028 |
| 18 | F ALDEGUER | Gresini Ducati | 1:43.419 | +1.048 |
| 19 | M VIÑALES | Tech3 KTM | 1:43.605 | +1.234 |
| 20 | J MILLER | Pramac Yamaha | 1:43.811 | +1.440 |
| 21 | A RINS | Yamaha | 1:43.896 | +1.525 |
| 22 | T RAZGATLIOĞLU | Pramac Yamaha | 1:44.031 | +1.660 |
Positions 1–12 were decided in Q2; positions 13–22 were decided in Q1. Gaps show each rider’s qualifying time relative to Martín’s pole lap, across the two sessions.
The Japanese Grand Prix takes place on Sunday, 4 October, at 14:00 local time in Motegi. GRANDE PRÊMIO will cover all the action throughout the weekend.
MotoGP today: FAQ
Who won the Japanese MotoGP race today?
Marc Márquez won the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi, finishing 1.363s ahead of Jorge Martín. Marco Bezzecchi completed the podium, while Márquez secured a weekend double after also winning Saturday’s Sprint.
Who leads the MotoGP championship after the Japanese GP?
Jorge Martín remains the MotoGP championship leader with 333 points, just 2 ahead of Marc Márquez on 331. Márquez’s two victories in Japan reduced the gap from 12 points at the start of the weekend.
When is the next MotoGP race?
The next MotoGP race is the Indonesian Grand Prix at Mandalika on Sunday, 11 October 2026. The weekend runs from 9–11 October.
Who took pole for the 2026 Japanese MotoGP?
Jorge Martín took pole with a Motegi lap record of 1:42.371, beating Marc Márquez by 0.110s.
