Márquez third and Bagnaia sixteenth as Ducati Lenovo Team opens Motegi Friday
Marc Márquez finished Friday Practice third at Motegi while Ducati Lenovo team-mate Francesco Bagnaia was sixteenth and faces Q1, as Alex Márquez set a new outright lap record of 1'42.811.
- 3rd
- 16th
- 1'42.811
- one tenth
What Happened
The Ducati Lenovo Team completed the opening day of the Grand Prix of Japan at the Mobility Resort Motegi. Marc Márquez finished Practice in third position, while Francesco Bagnaia was sixteenth and will have to tackle Q1. Alex Márquez topped the timesheets on the Ducati of Gresini Racing MotoGP, setting a new outright lap record for the track.
1'42.811lap time
Set by Alex Márquez, who topped the timesheets on the Gresini Racing MotoGP Ducati
Márquez had been quickest in FP1 and improved his lap time on several occasions during the afternoon session. He ended the day a full tenth adrift of the quickest time. Bagnaia, eighth in the morning, made his way into the top ten in the middle part of Practice but was unable to bounce back during the time attack.
Free Practice 2
Q1
Q2
The sixteenth Sprint of the season, contested over a 12-lap distance
“We're back on the same level as Misano and, generally speaking, the races before then. This is a track that suits my riding style and I've always ridden well here. The feeling is very good and we're all very close lap-time-wise. The new track surface surely helped us go faster, because the grip level is very high, although we don't know the real limit at the moment. This can lead to not having any warning before a crash, and I think tomorrow will be difficult in qualifying because we'll have to push really hard. It'll be important to qualify on the front row or – worst-case scenario – on row two, before doing our best in the Sprint and the race.”
“This Friday was more or less in line with most of the events so far this year. I struggle to find grip and we need to keep working in this area. We have a specific strategy to tackle this situation but, compared to Austria, where more or less everybody had grip issues and therefore the gap was smaller, I feel the difference quite a lot here. The goal is obviously to turn things around and, realistically, to be able to fight for the top ten.”
Previously from Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A.
The Ducati Lenovo Team arrived at Motegi to open MotoGP's run of five consecutive overseas races. It is a circuit where Ducati has won nine times. Both Marc Márquez and Pecco Bagnaia came into the weekend needing strong results.
Background drawn from MotorClaw's earlier coverage of Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A.'s official releases.
Why this matters
Practice position decides who goes straight into Q2 and who must fight through Q1, so Márquez's third keeps him in the fight for a front-row start while Bagnaia's sixteenth adds another hurdle before Saturday's Sprint and Sunday's race. Bagnaia said his Friday grip struggles were more or less in line with most events so far this year.
Terms in This Story
- Q1
- The first qualifying session of a MotoGP weekend; riders who do not go straight through must contest Q1 for a chance to reach Q2.
- Sprint
- A shorter race held on Saturday that awards championship points, separate from the main Grand Prix.
- FP1
- Free Practice 1, the opening practice session of a race weekend.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.