Overview
- Francesco Bagnaia secured pole with a 1:42.911 lap, a new Motegi record, ahead of Joan Mir by 0.092 seconds and Marc Marquez by 0.132.
- Pedro Acosta suffered a Q2 throttle issue that forced an early return to the box, then recovered to qualify fourth after topping FP2 earlier in 1:44.108.
- Marc Marquez crashed at Turn 5 in FP2 but still ended that session third and later locked in a front‑row start for his championship push.
- Alex Marquez advanced from Q1 with Franco Morbidelli and qualified eighth; notable Q1 exits included Ai Ogura (13th), Jorge Martin (17th), Brad Binder (18th) and Enea Bastianini (21st).
- The 12‑lap MotoGP sprint is set for Saturday at 08:00 MEZ, with the Grand Prix to follow on Sunday at 07:00 MEZ.