Overview

• Francesco Bagnaia took pole with a new Motegi lap record of 1:42.911, with Honda’s Joan Mir second and Marc Marquez third.
• Bagnaia converted from pole to win the Sprint convincingly, with Marc Marquez finishing second and KTM rookie Pedro Acosta third.
• After the Sprint, Marc Marquez remains on 512 points and can clinch the championship on Sunday unless Alex Marquez overturns the deficit by seven points.
• A first‑corner collision in the Sprint immediately eliminated Aprilia duo Jorge Martin and Marco Bezzecchi, reshaping the points battle for Sunday.
• Alex Marquez advanced from Q1 to qualify eighth and finished tenth in the Sprint, while Bagnaia’s revived pace was credited by Ducati to setup gains from the Misano test; Acosta overcame a qualifying issue to start fourth.