{"id":3071,"date":"2026-10-01T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/?p=3071"},"modified":"2026-09-30T15:47:34","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T18:47:34","slug":"what-time-does-japanese-motogp-practice-start-fridays-motegi-schedule","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/motogp\/what-time-does-japanese-motogp-practice-start-fridays-motegi-schedule\/","title":{"rendered":"What time does Japanese MotoGP practice start? Friday\u2019s Motegi schedule"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Summary<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>MotoGP FP1 starts on Friday, 2 October, at 10:45 in Japan, 02:45 BST and 07:15 IST.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The afternoon Practice session begins at 15:00 JST, with direct places in Q2 at stake.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In Los Angeles and Vancouver, both Friday sessions take place on Thursday evening.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/motogp\/\">MotoGP<\/a> practice for the Japanese Grand Prix begins on <strong>Friday, 2 October, at 10:45 local time<\/strong> at Mobility Resort Motegi. The premier class returns for the afternoon <strong>Practice session at 15:00 JST<\/strong>, when riders compete for direct entry into Q2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">UK viewers face an early start, with FP1 at <strong>02:45 BST<\/strong> and Practice at <strong>07:00 BST<\/strong>. In India, the sessions begin at <strong>07:15 IST<\/strong> and <strong>11:30 IST<\/strong>, respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For fans in the United States and Canada, the opening session falls on <strong>Thursday, 1 October<\/strong>. On the Pacific coast, both sessions take place before midnight, making the local date particularly important when planning viewing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Japanese MotoGP Friday practice times<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Country \/ city<\/th><th>Time zone<\/th><th>FP1<\/th><th>Practice \u2014 Q2 places<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Japan \u2014 Motegi<\/td><td>JST<\/td><td>Friday 2, 10:45<\/td><td>Friday 2, 15:00<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>United Kingdom \u2014 London<\/td><td>BST<\/td><td>Friday 2, 02:45<\/td><td>Friday 2, 07:00<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>United States \u2014 New York<\/td><td>EDT<\/td><td><strong>Thursday 1, 21:45<\/strong><\/td><td>Friday 2, 02:00<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>United States \u2014 Los Angeles<\/td><td>PDT<\/td><td><strong>Thursday 1, 18:45<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Thursday 1, 23:00<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Canada \u2014 Toronto \/ Montreal<\/td><td>EDT<\/td><td><strong>Thursday 1, 21:45<\/strong><\/td><td>Friday 2, 02:00<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Canada \u2014 Vancouver<\/td><td>PDT<\/td><td><strong>Thursday 1, 18:45<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Thursday 1, 23:00<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>India \u2014 New Delhi \/ Mumbai<\/td><td>IST<\/td><td>Friday 2, 07:15<\/td><td>Friday 2, 11:30<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Australia \u2014 Sydney \/ Melbourne \/ Brisbane<\/td><td>AEST<\/td><td>Friday 2, 11:45<\/td><td>Friday 2, 16:00<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Australia \u2014 Adelaide<\/td><td>ACST<\/td><td>Friday 2, 11:15<\/td><td>Friday 2, 15:30<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Australia \u2014 Perth<\/td><td>AWST<\/td><td>Friday 2, 09:45<\/td><td>Friday 2, 14:00<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Dates are local to each location. The timetable remains subject to changes by the organisers.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The full weekend programme is available in <a href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/motogp\/japanese-motogp-2026-full-motegi-schedule-sprint-and-race-start-times\/\">the Japanese MotoGP schedule, including qualifying, Sprint and race times<\/a>. Friday\u2019s two sessions have different purposes, with the afternoon running carrying the immediate qualifying consequence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why Friday afternoon Practice matters<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">FP1 gives riders an opening opportunity to assess the track and work on their bikes. The afternoon Practice session determines which <strong>10 riders advance directly to Q2<\/strong>, making it the first session with a decisive effect on their qualifying route.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Riders outside that top 10 must go through Q1 on Saturday. The two fastest riders in Q1 then join the direct qualifiers in Q2, where the leading grid positions are decided.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That distinction also explains the session names: Friday afternoon is officially <strong>Practice<\/strong>, while <strong>FP2 takes place on Saturday<\/strong>. The Friday sessions should therefore not be presented as FP1 and FP2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Where can fans watch Japanese MotoGP practice?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Viewing options depend on the country and the sessions included in each broadcaster\u2019s coverage. Fans should check whether their television package carries practice, rather than assuming that access to the Sprint or Grand Prix includes every session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the available platforms and the distinction between television and streaming coverage, consult <a href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/motogp\/japanese-motogp-tv-guide-uk-us-india-australia-and-canada-viewing-options\/\">the Japanese MotoGP TV guide for the UK, US, India, Australia and Canada<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What happens after Friday practice?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Saturday\u2019s programme includes FP2, qualifying and the Sprint. Sunday brings the main Grand Prix, completing the Japanese round before the championship travels to Indonesia the following weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Japanese Grand Prix takes place at Mobility Resort Motegi from <strong>2\u20134 October<\/strong>, as the 16th round of the 2026 season. <strong>GRANDE PR\u00caMIO<\/strong> will cover the sessions, results and developments throughout the weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">MotoGP today: FAQ<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What time does the Japanese MotoGP race start?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The race starts on <strong>Sunday, 4 October, at 14:00 JST<\/strong>: <strong>06:00 BST in the UK, 01:00 EDT in eastern US and Canada, 10:30 IST in India and 16:00 AEDT in Sydney and Melbourne<\/strong>. In Los Angeles and Vancouver, it begins at <strong>22:00 PDT on Saturday, 3 October<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Can Marc M\u00e1rquez take the MotoGP championship lead in Japan?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Yes. M\u00e1rquez trails Jorge Mart\u00edn by seven points after winning Saturday\u2019s Sprint.<\/strong> If M\u00e1rquez wins Sunday\u2019s race and Mart\u00edn finishes third or lower, M\u00e1rquez takes the lead. Second place for M\u00e1rquez and fourth for Mart\u00edn would also be enough: they would draw level on points, with M\u00e1rquez ahead on the Grand Prix victory tiebreak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why has Michelin withdrawn the soft rear tyre at Motegi?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Michelin withdrew the soft rear tyre after problems during Saturday\u2019s Sprint<\/strong>, including those affecting Jorge Mart\u00edn and Francesco Bagnaia. The medium and hard options remain available, but Michelin recommends the hard and has warned that the medium still carries risks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>MotoGP FP1 begins at 02:45 BST on Friday, 2 October, followed by the session deciding direct Q2 entry at 07:00. North American viewers can watch the opening practice on Thursday evening<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1001017866,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"42wp_featured_image_caption":"MotoGP comes to Motegi","42wp_featured_image_credits":"LCR","42wp_featured_video":"","42wp_featured_image_hidden":false,"42wp_authors_list":[{"id":59,"location":""}],"footnotes":"","42wp_breaking_news":false},"categories":[38],"tags":[586,646,315,662],"42wp_author":[59],"class_list":["post-3071","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-motogp","tag-japanese-gp","tag-motegi","tag-motogp-2026","tag-motogp-practice-times","42wp_author-fabricio-carvalho"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3071","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3071"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3071\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3072,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3071\/revisions\/3072"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1001017866"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3071"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3071"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3071"},{"taxonomy":"42wp_author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/42wp_author?post=3071"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}