Overview
- Francesco Bagnaia dominated the 12-lap Sprint after taking pole, winning ahead of Marc Márquez and Pedro Acosta.
- Bagnaia set a new Motegi lap record in qualifying to secure pole, with Joan Mir second and Marc Márquez third on the grid.
- The Sprint start saw Jorge Martín lose control and collide with Marco Bezzecchi, eliminating both; stewards are reviewing the incident.
- Aprilia’s Massimo Rivola said Martín will fly to Barcelona for surgery following his Motegi crash, with no return date set.
- Alex Márquez’s tenth place in the Sprint yielded no points, and Marc Márquez topped Sunday warm-up as he targets the clinch in the Grand Prix.