{"id":3261,"date":"2026-10-02T16:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-02T19:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/?p=3261"},"modified":"2026-10-02T14:40:38","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T17:40:38","slug":"marc-marquez-vows-to-attack-as-he-identifies-acosta-as-motegis-fastest-rider","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/motogp\/marc-marquez-vows-to-attack-as-he-identifies-acosta-as-motegis-fastest-rider\/","title":{"rendered":"Marc M\u00e1rquez vows to attack as he identifies Acosta as Motegi\u2019s fastest rider"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Summary<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Marc M\u00e1rquez identified Acosta as faster than him over both race simulations and flying laps.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u00c1lex M\u00e1rquez led Friday Practice ahead of Acosta and Marc M\u00e1rquez.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Ducati rider intends to take a more aggressive approach during the remaining rounds.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Marc M\u00e1rquez intends to attack throughout the remaining rounds of the season<\/strong>, acknowledging that Pedro Acosta currently holds an advantage over him at Motegi. Speaking after Friday\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/motogp\/\">MotoGP<\/a> practice for the Japanese Grand Prix, the Ducati rider identified the KTM competitor as a threat over both a flying lap and a race stint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u00c1lex M\u00e1rquez finished fastest with <strong>1:42.811<\/strong>, followed by Acosta at 0.076s and Marc M\u00e1rquez at 0.100s. All three secured direct entry into Q2, setting up a closely contested Saturday after <a href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/motogp\/alex-marquez-tops-japanese-motogp-practice-as-bagnaia-misses-q2\/\">Friday Practice at Motegi<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAt the moment, Pedro is the fastest one on the race pace and also on the time attack compared to me,\u201d Marc M\u00e1rquez said after the session. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Marc M\u00e1rquez prepares to take greater risks<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">M\u00e1rquez distinguished between managing his effort on Friday and committing fully once qualifying and the races begin. His assessment is that the improving opposition demands a more aggressive approach, although pushing harder also increases the risk of mistakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The soft rear tyre is an important part of Saturday\u2019s preparation.<\/strong> M\u00e1rquez struggled more with the medium during his flying-lap work and intends to evaluate the softer option more thoroughly before qualifying. \u00c1lex M\u00e1rquez used the soft to produce Friday\u2019s quickest time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those differences matter when interpreting a practice classification separated by just one tenth across the leading three riders. A fast lap establishes qualifying potential, but it does not settle which rider can maintain the strongest pace throughout a race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"647\" src=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1-55564177539_f5e412daed_h-1024x647.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1020316545\" srcset=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1-55564177539_f5e412daed_h-1024x647.webp 1024w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1-55564177539_f5e412daed_h-300x190.webp 300w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1-55564177539_f5e412daed_h-768x486.webp 768w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1-55564177539_f5e412daed_h-150x95.webp 150w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1-55564177539_f5e412daed_h.webp 1082w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Marc M\u00e1rquez (Foto: Michelin)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u00c1lex M\u00e1rquez adds caution to the Acosta comparison<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u00c1lex M\u00e1rquez\u2019s assessment also highlighted the importance of comparing equivalent tyre programmes. He considered his brother particularly competitive on race pace with the medium rear, while Acosta\u2019s work placed greater emphasis on the soft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Gresini rider therefore believes further improvement is necessary despite finishing first. <strong>Friday\u2019s tyre choices prevent a straightforward conclusion about the race favourite<\/strong>, particularly before the riders establish which compound best suits Sunday\u2019s conditions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Acosta\u2019s position nevertheless gives the title contenders another rider to account for. If the KTM rider converts his practice performance into a strong grid position, he can compete directly for the points that M\u00e1rquez and Jorge Mart\u00edn need in their championship battle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A close field awaits Saturday<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The leading Friday times illustrate how little separates the immediate contenders:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Pos.<\/th><th>Rider<\/th><th>Team \/ Manufacturer<\/th><th>Time<\/th><th>Gap<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>1<\/td><td>\u00c1. M\u00c1RQUEZ<\/td><td>Gresini \/ Ducati<\/td><td>1:42.811<\/td><td>\u2014<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>2<\/td><td>P. ACOSTA<\/td><td>KTM<\/td><td>1:42.887<\/td><td>+0.076<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>3<\/td><td>M. M\u00c1RQUEZ<\/td><td>Ducati<\/td><td>1:42.911<\/td><td>+0.100<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Saturday will provide a clearer comparison through qualifying and the Sprint. Readers can consult the <a href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/motogp\/what-time-is-japanese-motogp-qualifying-and-the-sprint-saturday-motegi-schedule\/\">complete Saturday Motegi schedule<\/a> for local start times across the United States, United Kingdom, India, Australia and Canada.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">MotoGP continues this weekend, from 2\u20134 October, in Japan. <strong>GRANDE PR\u00caMIO<\/strong> will cover all the action at Motegi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">MotoGP today: FAQ<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Who won the Japanese MotoGP race today?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Marc M\u00e1rquez won the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi, finishing 1.363s ahead of Jorge Mart\u00edn. Marco Bezzecchi completed the podium, while M\u00e1rquez secured a weekend double after also winning Saturday\u2019s Sprint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Who leads the MotoGP championship after the Japanese GP?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jorge Mart\u00edn remains the MotoGP championship leader with 333 points, just 2 ahead of Marc M\u00e1rquez on 331. M\u00e1rquez\u2019s two victories in Japan reduced the gap from 12 points at the start of the weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When is the next MotoGP race?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The next MotoGP race is the Indonesian Grand Prix at Mandalika on Sunday, 11 October 2026. The weekend runs from 9\u201311 October.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Who was fastest in Japanese MotoGP Practice?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u00c1lex M\u00e1rquez led with 1:42.811, ahead of Pedro Acosta and Marc M\u00e1rquez.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Ducati rider believes Pedro Acosta has an advantage in race pace and qualifying performance, but different tyre choices complicate comparisons after Japanese MotoGP practice.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1020316523,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"42wp_featured_image_caption":"Marc M\u00e1rquez","42wp_featured_image_credits":"Ducati","42wp_featured_video":"","42wp_featured_image_hidden":false,"42wp_authors_list":[{"id":140,"location":""}],"footnotes":"","42wp_breaking_news":false},"categories":[38],"tags":[586,104,315,106],"42wp_author":[140],"class_list":["post-3261","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-motogp","tag-japanese-gp","tag-marc-marquez","tag-motogp-2026","tag-pedro-acosta","42wp_author-kaio-esteves"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3261","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=3261"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3261\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3262,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3261\/revisions\/3262"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1020316523"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3261"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3261"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3261"},{"taxonomy":"42wp_author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/42wp_author?post=3261"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}