Overview
- Francesco Bagnaia claimed pole with a 1:42.911 lap, a new MotoGP record at Twin Ring Motegi, with Joan Mir second at +0.092 and Marc Marquez third at +0.132.
- Pedro Acosta recovered from a technical issue that cost him most of the session to secure fourth on the grid.
- Fabio Quartararo qualified fifth for Yamaha and Franco Morbidelli took sixth after advancing from Q1, with Luca Marini seventh.
- Alex Marquez rebounded from missing direct Q2 for the first time this season to qualify eighth, while prequalifying leader Marco Bezzecchi starts ninth.
- Defending champion Jorge Martin failed to reach Q2 and will start 17th, as Bagnaia’s FP1 pace on used tyres signaled strong race potential.