The 2026 Japanese MotoGP will take place at Motegi from Friday 2 October to Sunday 4 October, forming round 16 of the World Championship. Friday brings two MotoGP sessions, Saturday adds final practice, qualifying and the Sprint, and the weekend concludes with warm-up and the Grand Prix on Sunday.

The main championship story is the contest between Marc Marquez and Jorge Martin. Martin leads by 12 points and arrives after winning both races at the Red Bull Ring, while Marco Bezzecchi is 42 points from the top. Marquez is also returning to the circuit where he secured the 2025 title.

Pedro Acosta is another rider to watch after moving up to fourth in the standings with his maiden MotoGP victory at the Red Bull Ring. The KTM rider has a strong Motegi background: he led there during his rookie season, reached last year’s Sprint podium and remained a frontrunner in the Grand Prix until a mistake ended that challenge.

Motegi and UK session times

On Friday 2 October, FP1 starts at 10:45 local time in Motegi, which is 02:45 in the UK. The second session, Practice, follows at 15:00 local time and 07:00 UK time.

Saturday 3 October begins with FP2 at 10:10 in Motegi (02:10 UK), followed by qualifying at 10:50 (02:50 UK) and the Sprint at 15:00 (07:00 UK). On Sunday 4 October, warm-up starts at 09:40 local time (01:40 UK), while the race gets under way at 14:00 in Motegi, or 06:00 in the UK.

How to watch the weekend

The official MotoGP Video Pass streams every MotoGP session live. A season-long subscription costs €148.99 with Timing Pass or €139.99 without live data. The monthly option costs €29.99.

In the UK, TNT Sports carries every session of the Japanese MotoGP, along with the complete Moto2 and Moto3 schedules. A TNT Sports subscription through HBO Max starts at £27.99 per month, depending on the plan selected.

Pecco Bagnaia arrives at a circuit where he won both of last year’s races from pole position. He is ninth in this year’s championship, his only victory so far being the Brno Sprint, and he has not finished on the podium since that June event. Motegi therefore represents an important return for a rider with a particularly strong recent record at the venue.