Marc Marquez Tops Opening Practice at Motegi as Brother Alex Sets Lap Record

Marquez sets the pace early

Marc Marquez topped opening practice for the Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi on Friday, clocking a 1:44.073 to lead the session. Championship leader Jorge Martin wasn't far behind, just 0.099 seconds off the pace in second, with his Aprilia teammate Marco Bezzecchi rounding out the top three.

Marquez's younger brother Alex finished fourth for Gresini, 0.261 seconds off the pace, while Johann Zarco and Fabio Quartararo led the Honda and Yamaha contingents in fifth and sixth. Race winner Pedro Acosta had a quieter session by his standards, finishing only tenth.

A home wildcard's weekend ends early

The session carried a painful moment for the host nation. Wildcard rider Takaaki Nakagami, riding for Honda HRC in front of his home crowd, fractured his left collarbone less than five minutes into FP1 after being thrown over the handlebars in tricky conditions. The injury ruled him out for the remainder of the weekend, cutting short what was meant to be a showcase appearance.

A new lap record

The pace only increased as the day went on. In a later session, Alex Marquez set a new lap record of 1:42.81, finishing ahead of Acosta by just 0.076 seconds, with his brother Marc third. The record comes in just Alex's second season in the premier class, a sign of how quickly he has adapted to MotoGP's top tier.

The title picture

Heading into the round, the championship remains tightly contested at the top: Jorge Martin leads with 306 points, with Marc Marquez close behind on 294. Marco Bezzecchi sits third on 264, ahead of Pedro Acosta on 234 and Fabio Di Giannantonio on 230, setting up a weekend at Motegi that could meaningfully reshape the title race.