Alex Márquez claimed the fastest time in Friday’s MotoGP Practice session at Motegi, setting a new lap record with a 1m42.811s. The Gresini Ducati rider finished 0.076 seconds clear of Pedro Acosta’s KTM, while Marc Márquez placed third. They were the only riders to break into the 1m42s bracket, giving the session a direct bearing on Saturday morning’s qualifying: the top 10 earned automatic passage to Q2, while the rest must begin in Q1.

The hour-long session was interrupted shortly after the start, with just over 51 minutes remaining. An apparent engine failure on Ai Ogura’s Trackhouse Aprilia left fluid at the pit exit, forcing officials to clean the circuit before the riders could return to full speed. Once the red flag period ended, the lead changed repeatedly as the field moved onto soft tyres for its main time attacks.

Acosta was the first to establish a serious benchmark after the restart, stopping the clock at 1m43.866s. Marco Bezzecchi then moved ahead with a 1m43.742s, before Marc Márquez took over with a 1m43.623s. With 17 minutes remaining, Fermín Aldeguer briefly entered the fight at 1m43.586s, but Bezzecchi and Marc Márquez responded with successive improvements. Bezzecchi’s 1m43.029s with just under 12 minutes left looked strong enough for the top spot until Alex Márquez produced his late record-setting lap.

Bezzecchi finished fourth on the time that had briefly led the session, with Enea Bastianini making a late move to fifth for Tech3 KTM. Fabio Di Giannantonio was sixth on the VR46 machine, followed by Fabio Quartararo’s factory Yamaha in seventh. Championship leader Jorge Martín took eighth and secured direct entry to Q2, while Diogo Moreira and Johann Zarco completed the top 10. Both crashed late in the session, with Moreira’s fall coming at Turn 5.

Aldeguer slipped to 11th by the chequered flag, and Ogura could manage only 15th at his home Grand Prix. Pecco Bagnaia ended Friday in 16th, meaning the Motegi winner from last year will have to go through Q1 again rather than receiving a direct Q2 place. Maverick Viñales was last on his return to action. The result leaves Márquez with the clearest advantage from Practice, while several leading names face an additional qualifying hurdle before the Japanese Grand Prix grid is decided.