Marco Bezzecchi rebounded from two earlier crashes to top Friday afternoon’s Motegi MotoGP practice as championship contender Alex Marquez missed out on Q2 for the first time this season.
The Italian racer, piloting an Aprilia Racing RS-GP25, demonstrated remarkable composure and speed as he clocked a fastest lap time of 1:43.193, setting the tone for what promises to be a thrilling weekend of competition at Motegi circuit.
The second practice session unfolded under demanding circumstances, as Bezzecchi had to overcome not one but two crashes in the morning FP1 session that severely limited his running.
Despite these setbacks, he managed to recompose during the afternoon practice and produce a fast, clean lap during the crucial time attack phase. His fastest lap time placed him just fractions ahead of the next best riders, highlighting the competitiveness of the Aprilia machine in Japan.
Right on his heels was Red Bull KTM Factory’s Pedro Acosta who put in a strong performance to finish second, just 0.136s behind Bezzecchi.
The young Spaniard showed his customary aggressive style but paid the price with a late crash at Turn 1 towards the end of the session, which unfortunately curbed his chances of going even faster.
Meanwhile, championship leader Marc Marquez, aboard the Ducati Lenovo Team’s Desmosedici GP25, secured third place with a lap of 1:43.360.
Marquez’s session was marked by persistence, as at one stage he was outside the top ten, battling to find the best setup and pace. His late surge in the session underscored his experience and championship-winning mentality as he eyes clinching the 2025 MotoGP world title this weekend.
Marquez currently holds a substantial 182-point lead over his younger brother Alex Marquez, adding an extra layer of intensity to the competition as he only needs a thin margin of points over his brother to secure the championship.
However, Alex struggled significantly during Friday’s Japanese MotoGP practice as he languished at the back of the pack for much of the session and ended up 15th, marking the first time this year that he faces the early hurdle of Q1 qualifying.
The Gresini rider had been running 23rd and last at the halfway point of the session, with a crash at Turn 9 preventing him from setting a competitive lap time.
Jumping on his second bike, he set the fifth-fastest lap with eight minutes to go, but a late flurry of improvements left him tumbling outside the top 10. Yellow flags and a slow final tour sealed his fate in a frantic, incident-packed session.
Meanwhile, Jorge Martin who had started well in the morning, suffered two crashes at Turns 5 and 7 ultimately finishing the second Motegi MotoGP practice down in 13th.
Martin attributed his crashes to a lack of front-end confidence, which disrupted his rhythm and track time significantly.
Honda factory marked a solid start to the weekend with Joan Mir finishing fourth ahead of his teammate Luca Marini in sixth, with VR46 Racing’s Fabio Di Giannantonio sandwiching the duo in fifth.
Francesco Bagnaia who had topped FP1 could not replicate that pace in the afternoon after struggling with bike setup and tyre management, finishing seventh as he pushed the team to make adjustments before qualifying.
Fabio Quartararo was the only Yamaha rider to secure an automatic Q2 spot after finishing eighth, improving from a slower FP1 where less preferred tyre choices were used.
Quartararo was closely followed by Trackhouse rider Raul Fernandez and LCR Honda rider Johann Zarco.
Francesco Bagnaia paces opening Japanese MotoGP practice as 6 crashes shake up Motegi
Marc Marquez snatches Misano MotoGP victory from Marco Bezzecchi, inches closer to 2025 title
