{"id":3278,"date":"2026-10-03T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-03T03:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/?p=3278"},"modified":"2026-10-03T04:28:57","modified_gmt":"2026-10-03T07:28:57","slug":"martin-breaks-motegi-record-to-deny-marc-marquez-japanese-motogp-pole","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/motogp\/martin-breaks-motegi-record-to-deny-marc-marquez-japanese-motogp-pole\/","title":{"rendered":"Mart\u00edn breaks Motegi record to deny Marc M\u00e1rquez Japanese MotoGP pole"},"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>Jorge Mart\u00edn secured pole with a Motegi lap record of <strong>1:42.371<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Marc M\u00e1rquez qualified second, just ahead of Pedro Acosta.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Diogo Moreira led Honda\u2019s challenge in ninth; Francesco Bagnaia was eliminated in Q1.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jorge Mart\u00edn delivered a late breakthrough to take <strong>pole position for the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix<\/strong>, beating Marc M\u00e1rquez in Saturday\u2019s qualifying at Motegi. The Aprilia rider set a circuit record of <strong>1:42.371<\/strong>, securing the leading position on the grid for both races of the weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The two championship contenders were separated by <strong>0.110s<\/strong>, with M\u00e1rquez recording 1:42.481 for Ducati. Pedro Acosta completed a front row featuring three different manufacturers, placing his KTM third with 1:42.493 \u2014 only 0.012s behind M\u00e1rquez.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Marco Bezzecchi qualified fourth on the second factory Aprilia, ahead of Friday pacesetter \u00c1lex M\u00e1rquez and VR46\u2019s Fabio Di Giannantonio. Enea Bastianini took seventh for Tech3, followed by Trackhouse\u2019s Ra\u00fal Fern\u00e1ndez.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Diogo Moreira was the fastest Honda rider in ninth<\/strong>, narrowly beating LCR teammate Johann Zarco by 0.002s. Ai Ogura and Fabio Quartararo completed the 12 riders who contested Q2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The result gave Mart\u00edn the advantage in the qualifying phase of another closely contested <a href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/motogp\/\">MotoGP<\/a> weekend. M\u00e1rquez remained within striking distance, while Acosta\u2019s performance put KTM alongside Aprilia and Ducati at the front.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mart\u00edn delivers when pole is on the line<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u00c1lex M\u00e1rquez established the opening benchmark in Q2 before his older brother moved ahead. Marc M\u00e1rquez\u2019s 1:42.481 initially looked strong enough to secure pole, but the final runs brought a decisive improvement from Mart\u00edn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Aprilia rider produced <strong>1:42.371<\/strong>, overturning the provisional order and setting a new Motegi record. M\u00e1rquez ran wide at Turn 3 during a subsequent attempt and, despite showing competitive early sectors on his final lap, could not reclaim first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Acosta improved at the end to secure third, pushing Bezzecchi onto the second row. The top five finished within <strong>0.175s<\/strong>, underlining how little separated the leading riders over a single lap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Trackhouse progresses as Bagnaia misses Q2<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ogura and Fern\u00e1ndez claimed the two available places in Q2 after an exceptionally close Q1. The Japanese rider recorded <strong>1:42.883<\/strong>, with his teammate just <strong>0.001s<\/strong> slower.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Their progress came at Bagnaia\u2019s expense. The factory Ducati rider posted 1:43.007, but Fern\u00e1ndez\u2019s late improvement left him third in Q1 and <strong>13th overall<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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 Ferm\u00edn Aldeguer took 17th and 18th.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Maverick Vi\u00f1ales qualified 19th on his return from injury. Jack Miller, Alex Rins and Toprak Razgatl\u0131o\u011flu completed the order on their Yamahas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Japanese MotoGP 2026: full qualifying results<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Pos<\/th><th>Rider<\/th><th>Team<\/th><th>Time<\/th><th>Gap<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>1<\/td><td><strong>J MART\u00cdN<\/strong><\/td><td>Aprilia<\/td><td><strong>1:42.371<\/strong><\/td><td>\u2014<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>2<\/td><td>M M\u00c1RQUEZ<\/td><td>Ducati<\/td><td>1:42.481<\/td><td>+0.110<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>3<\/td><td>P ACOSTA<\/td><td>KTM<\/td><td>1:42.493<\/td><td>+0.122<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>4<\/td><td>M BEZZECCHI<\/td><td>Aprilia<\/td><td>1:42.530<\/td><td>+0.159<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>5<\/td><td>A M\u00c1RQUEZ<\/td><td>Gresini Ducati<\/td><td>1:42.546<\/td><td>+0.175<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>6<\/td><td>F DI GIANNANTONIO<\/td><td>VR46 Ducati<\/td><td>1:42.628<\/td><td>+0.257<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>7<\/td><td>E BASTIANINI<\/td><td>Tech3 KTM<\/td><td>1:42.669<\/td><td>+0.298<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>8<\/td><td>R FERN\u00c1NDEZ<\/td><td>Trackhouse Aprilia<\/td><td>1:42.741<\/td><td>+0.370<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>9<\/td><td>D MOREIRA<\/td><td>LCR Honda<\/td><td>1:42.916<\/td><td>+0.545<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>10<\/td><td>J ZARCO<\/td><td>LCR Honda<\/td><td>1:42.918<\/td><td>+0.547<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>11<\/td><td>A OGURA<\/td><td>Trackhouse Aprilia<\/td><td>1:42.933<\/td><td>+0.562<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>12<\/td><td>F QUARTARARO<\/td><td>Yamaha<\/td><td>1:43.059<\/td><td>+0.688<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>13<\/td><td>F BAGNAIA<\/td><td>Ducati<\/td><td>1:43.007<\/td><td>+0.636<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>14<\/td><td>F MORBIDELLI<\/td><td>VR46 Ducati<\/td><td>1:43.136<\/td><td>+0.765<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>15<\/td><td>S CHANTRA<\/td><td>Honda<\/td><td>1:43.196<\/td><td>+0.825<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>16<\/td><td>L MARINI<\/td><td>Honda<\/td><td>1:43.278<\/td><td>+0.907<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>17<\/td><td>B BINDER<\/td><td>KTM<\/td><td>1:43.399<\/td><td>+1.028<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>18<\/td><td>F ALDEGUER<\/td><td>Gresini Ducati<\/td><td>1:43.419<\/td><td>+1.048<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>19<\/td><td>M VI\u00d1ALES<\/td><td>Tech3 KTM<\/td><td>1:43.605<\/td><td>+1.234<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>20<\/td><td>J MILLER<\/td><td>Pramac Yamaha<\/td><td>1:43.811<\/td><td>+1.440<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>21<\/td><td>A RINS<\/td><td>Yamaha<\/td><td>1:43.896<\/td><td>+1.525<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>22<\/td><td>T RAZGATLIO\u011eLU<\/td><td>Pramac Yamaha<\/td><td>1:44.031<\/td><td>+1.660<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Positions 1\u201312 were decided in Q2; positions 13\u201322 were decided in Q1. Gaps show each rider\u2019s qualifying time relative to Mart\u00edn\u2019s pole lap, across the two sessions.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Japanese Grand Prix takes place on Sunday, <strong>4 October, at 14:00 local time in Motegi<\/strong>. <strong>GRANDE PR\u00caMIO<\/strong> will cover all the action 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\">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 took pole for the 2026 Japanese MotoGP?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jorge Mart\u00edn took pole with a Motegi lap record of 1:42.371, beating Marc M\u00e1rquez by 0.110s.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Jorge Mart\u00edn beat his championship rival by 0.110s, with Pedro Acosta completing the front row. Diogo Moreira qualified ninth, while Francesco Bagnaia missed Q2 and finished 13th.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1020316622,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"42wp_featured_image_caption":"Jorge Mart\u00edn","42wp_featured_image_credits":"AFP","42wp_featured_video":"","42wp_featured_image_hidden":false,"42wp_authors_list":[],"footnotes":"","42wp_breaking_news":false},"categories":[38],"tags":[586,52,104,570],"42wp_author":[267,140],"class_list":["post-3278","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-motogp","tag-japanese-gp","tag-jorge-martin","tag-marc-marquez","tag-motogp-qualifying","42wp_author-guilherme-bloisi","42wp_author-kaio-esteves"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3278","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=3278"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3278\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3279,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3278\/revisions\/3279"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1020316622"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3278"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3278"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3278"},{"taxonomy":"42wp_author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/42wp_author?post=3278"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}