The 17th round of the 2025 MotoGP finds the series in Japan with competitors taking the to the circuit at Mobility Resort Motegi. Even with Ducati’s Marc Marquez all but guaranteed the 2025 championship, there was lots of racing action on track earlier today in the Saturday Sprint race. Read on to check out teams reports.
Ducati Lenovo
The Ducati Lenovo Team came out victorious in the Japanese Sprint with Francesco Bagnaia, who dominated the 12-lap encounter at the Mobility Resort Motegi. Marc Márquez finished the race in second place, further strengthening his chances to clinch the World Championship title already at the end of tomorrow’s race.
Bagnaia had the perfect start from pole – which he secured courtesy of the new outright lap record set in Q2 – and pulled away in the early stages before managing the lead up to the chequered flag. After starting from the front row, Márquez upped his pace later in the encounter, first moving up to third place with five laps left before overtaking Acosta for second two laps later.
The Ducati Lenovo Team will resume proceedings tomorrow morning at 9:40 local time (GMT +9) for the warm up, which will be followed by the Grand Prix of Japan, contested over 24 laps from 14:00.
Francesco Bagnaia (#63 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 1st
“Winning is always important, but to do so in the Sprint, where I’ve always struggled this year, is truly something special. We never gave up and this is the result. I’m really happy and now we look forward to what’s ahead of us while continuing to do our best; I really hope we’ve found the key to turn things around. Let’s see how tomorrow goes, but we know we have the potential on our side. We need to get a good start, manage the situation, and try to stay in the battle for the win. Our goal is still the top five.”
Marc Márquez (#93 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 2nd
“We kept improving throughout the race. I was attentive in the early stages, trying to avoid any unnecessary risk. I took some pressure off my shoulders as the laps went by and got back to enjoying riding the bike. It wasn’t easy to get to second position as the riders ahead are among the best under braking, and therefore very hard to overtake. I know there’s something big coming and it’s getting even closer: I can’t say I’m fully relaxed, but today we still made another crucial step towards our goal.”
Honda HRC Castrol
A long-awaited return to the front row of the grid as Joan Mir equalled his best MotoGP qualifying result, putting his Honda in second before a spirited race to fourth. Honda HRC Castrol teammate Luca Marini locked in another top ten performance and increased his points total.
For the first time since the Italian Grand Prix in 2023, a factory Honda RC213V machine found its home on the front row of the grid. The result and subsequent performance in the Sprint race is the next step in Honda HRC’s continual journey back to the form which has amassed more than 800 wins across all classes. Boosted by recent upgrades, Joan Mir moved the Honda HRC Castrol garage to the edge of their seats as he went fastest with just a few minutes left in the Q2. His 1’43.003 – almost a second and a half faster than his 2024 qualifying time – would earn Mir second on the grid, his debut front row as a Honda HRC rider and his first since the 2022 Portuguese Grand Prix. A result which was met with great delight by Honda HRC staff and management.
Elation after a season of hard work and heavy knocks, Mir and the team quickly regained their steely focus for the Sprint. Starting well, the #36 held onto second for several laps before he became embroiled in an intense battle with champion elect Marc Marquez. Fourth at the chequered flag, Mir followed his qualifying performance with a career best finish in the Sprint race. A significant boost to morale and motivations, the targets for Sunday are clear.
The metronome that is Luca Marini continued to work away as he headed the third row of the grid in seventh, 1.4 seconds faster than his time set here in 2024 and only two tenths off the front row. With chaos erupting at the first corner, the Italian kept his composure and advanced forward as the 12-lap Sprint got underway. Tucking in behind Quartararo, Marini and the Frenchman tried to close the distance to the group ahead with the #10 ultimately ending just four seconds off the top five. Seventh and with three more points in hands, Marini’s march towards tenth overall continues.
Expectations are high for Sunday’s 24 lap as Honda HRC aim to end their home weekend on a high.
Joan Mir
Fourth
“I don’t think that there is any doubts that today has been a really positive day. We fought really hard for the podium in the Sprint and of course it would have been really nice to get it, but second in Qualifying and then fighting like we did – this is already a big reward. I’m happy for myself, my team, everyone in Honda – we have been working for these results for many years. Today we showed what we can do when everything lines up and we don’t have anything from the outside. For my confidence it’s super important and I am really focused on repeating everything again on Sunday.”
Luca Marini
Seventh
“We are in the middle of a really good weekend, not just for myself but for Honda. Three bikes in Q2 directly is a really important milestone, but still, we can improve. I missed some time in Turn 10 during quali today, Joan showed today what you can do when you put everything together. Like always, the Sprint was a bit complicated managing the tyre temperature when I was behind Fabio but I think it has given us good information for Sunday. I know that we can do better and this is a really good feeling to bring not just into tomorrow, but into the races we have the rest of this year.”
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
MotoGP began the rolling overseas stint of the 2025 calendar with the annual visit to Motegi. The 4.8km course with 14 turns is housed within the Mobility Resort complex and usually involves an unpredictable climate across the three days. Motegi has staged the Japanese Grand Prix since 2004 and been part of the MotoGP schedule since 1999, and in that time has become synonymous for the two ‘underpass’ sections as well as the high braking demands of the layout.
Pedro Acosta scorched to the 2nd fastest lap-time in a frenetic and competitive practice schedule through Friday that saw a spate of crashes as the track varied in temperature and grip. The Spaniard was the sole direct entrant to Q2. Q1 on Saturday morning saw Brad Binder, Enea Bastianini and Maverick Viñales, still in the rehab phases from his left shoulder injury, end the session with P18 and P21 and P23 positions respectively on the grid. Acosta faced a technical issue that delayed his participation in Q2 but was able to salvage a forceful attempt for Pole and was just 0.158 away, meaning P4.
The Sprint laid rubber for 12 laps. Acosta muscled into P3 and then into P2, which he held for most of the duration until Marc Marquez made a late lunge. Pedro crossed the line for 3rd place, 3.6 seconds from the winner. Bastianini produced a brilliant surge to reach as high as 13th, with Binder for company as both avoided a first turn melee, but the Italian did not reach the flag. The South African, who’d suffered a quick fall at Turn 12 earlier in the day, persevered to score 12th while Viñales rode to 16th.
The Japanese Grand Prix build-up now begins in earnest and the 24-lap race will start at 07.00 CEST and 14.00 local time.
Pedro Acosta, 4th in qualification, 3rd in the Sprint: “We have to be happy. We had the crash yesterday and not many laps in qualifying. The team also had to work hard after Q2 and we didn’t get too nervous. In the end we had the pace for the podium. With the medium tire tomorrow it will be another kind of race and difficult for everyone but we have the speed to make a good one. I feel we have potential for more. It will be a race of management.”
Brad Binder, 18th in qualification, 12th in the Sprint: “Not too much to say really. On the start with all the carnage I got really hung out to dry and I was really lucky to escape all the mess. After that I tried to come through but it was super-difficult to overtake so many bikes. I managed to pass a couple of guys but I was battling with upright spin. We’ll have to make a plan for tomorrow.”
Maverick Viñales, 23rd in qualification, 16th in the Sprint: “My shoulder is better than expected but I have two corners for quick change of direction where I have a bit of a handicap. For the rest I am impressed by how I have been able to improve and how the shoulder is feeling. I’m quite positive that every weekend is a step forward. We need to make an analysis with the bike because we have a lot of front-end sliding and I cannot be fast. We have to make a reset and recover the feeling I had before.”
Enea Bastianini, 21st in qualification, DNF in the Sprint: “Yesterday afternoon I was confident of improving but in the end nothing was better and the others improved. During qualifying I had the yellow flag three times and it was impossible to do a better result for the grid position. When you start behind like this then it’s difficult.I am hoping to find something for tomorrow because like this…it is very frustrating.”
Aki Ajo, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: “We have quite mixed feelings. Once again a great performance by Pedro. After a few issues he managed two laps in Q2 and 4th on the grid was very good. He showed his level in the Sprint by fighting at the front and keeping his podium position. A positive run for tomorrow and we hope we can show the same potential in the longer GP race, maybe with the harder rear tire option. With Brad, unfortunately the start position was quite far but he was fighting well in the Sprint and after the first corner accident we’re OK with 12th. Enea and Maverick did not have the best day of the season: technical issues and Maverick’s higher targets lay ahead in the races to come.”
Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing
The Sprint of the Japanese Grand Prix proves to be bittersweet for the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team: Franco Morbidelli secures the fifth place and he is the top Independent rider, while Fabio Di Giannantonio crosses the finish line in thirteenth place.
On Saturday morning at Motegi, Morbidelli ended the Qualifying session in sixth place, confirming his as the top Independent rider. In the Sprint, Franco started from the second row and he was in the fight for the Top5, crossing the finish line in fifth place. The #21 rider is sixth in the World Standings with 185 points.
Di Giannantonio started his Saturday on the back foot, with a tricky Q2 that he ended in twelfth place. Fabio started from the fourth row and lost positions for the incident in the early stages of the Sprint. He bounced back until he arrived to the chequered flag in thirteenth place. The #49 rider sits seventh in the World Standings with 179 points.
The Japanese GP will end tomorrow with the main race, which will start at 2 p.m. (local time, +7 CET).
Fabio Di Giannantonio
“It was a tough day: for the second time this season, the feeling with the bike changes completely from one session to the other in an unexpected way, even without touching anyrhing on the bike. Yesteday I had one of the best day of the year in terms of feeling, today it was not like so. The good thing is that, even if I’m slower looking at the data, I’m riding in the same way as yesterday. It’s a bit frustrating situation overall, but we are working with the team to try to understand the reason and fix it for tomorrow’s race. We will fix it like we’ve always done.”
Franco Morbidelli
“It was a positive Saturday definitely, we turned around things compared to yesterday. This morning I was still unhappy with the Friday we had, but as soon as I arrived to the garage, everybody was pumped up and I got back the energy to face the morning in the right way. I passed through Q1 with a very good laptime and I had a pretty good Q2. In the Sprint we had the pace to stay with the top group. Unfortunately, in the early laps I didn’t have the speed to attack, then I got it back, but it was too late. Anyway, overall I am happy. Yesterday we has a good speed with the medium tyres, hopefully it is the same for tomorrow’s race.”
Aprilia Racing
Aprilia Racing had a Saturday to forget, with both riders crashing out at the first turn of the sprint at the Mobility Resort Motegi Circuit.
Starting from ninth on the grid, Marco Bezzecchi was involved in a crash triggered by Jorge Martín. The Spanish rider, who had started from seventeenth, lost control of his bike under braking at turn 1 and collided with his teammate. An unfortunate incident that ended the sprint for the two factory Aprilia riders within seconds.
As a result of the crash, Marco Bezzecchi has suffered a contusion to his right leg, luckily with no serious consequences.
Jorge Martin, after the crash, has undergone medical examinations at the circuit medical centre. The X-rays revealed a displaced fracture of the right collarbone. The rider was, then, transferred by helicopter to the Dokkyo Medical University Hospital for further assessment, where a CT scan showed no additional complications.
The Spanish rider will leave Tokyo on Sunday morning to return to Spain. On Monday, at the Hospital Universitari Dexeus in Barcelona, he will undergo surgery for the reduction and fixation of a fracture of the right collarbone. The operation will be performed by Dr. Xavier Mir and his medical team.
The day’s one bright spot was the Trackhouse MotoGP Team, with Raúl Fernández and Ai Ogura both finishing in the points, in eighth and ninth place respectively.
MASSIMO RIVOLA
“Jorge and, especially, Marco did not start from the grid positions they deserved. A serious misjudgement under braking by Jorge unfortunately caused a heavy crash for both of them. Looking at what happened, we are lucky that only one rider was injured and that Marco, in the end, did not suffer any fractures. We are sorry to hear that Jorge will once again have to undergo surgery, after what has been a difficult season to say the least. The work of Aprilia Racing nevertheless continues at full pace: we know that on Sunday, Marco, even if not in top condition, will still be able to deliver a great race and we will do everything possible to give him the best bike we can”.
Monster Energy Yamaha
Racing in front of his and Yamaha’s enthusiastic and supportive Japanese fans, Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Fabio Quartararo delivered a commendable performance in today’s Grand Prix of Japan Sprint. He held off rivals all the way to the chequered flag to secure a positive sixth-place finish. Meanwhile, Álex Rins’ unlucky start compromised his Sprint race. He was forced to take evasive action in Turn 1 due to a collision between other riders, losing valuable time. Despite the setback, he pushed through to take 18th place.
Quartararo started from P5 and, though he lost some places in the opening stages, completed the first lap in sixth. Unable to stay with the top 5, he focused on defending his position from charging rivals. Luca Marini fancied his chances, but the Frenchman held firm all the way to the finish line. He brought home sixth place and four points, taking the chequered flag 8.913s from first in front of his and the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team’s passionate Japanese fans.
Rins began from P19 but was unlucky to get caught up in a Turn 1 incident on the opening lap involving the two Factory Aprilia riders. With riders and bikes sliding over the tarmac, the Spaniard had to take evasive action and swerved into the gravel trap. He skilfully got his bike stopped before the wall and made his way back to the track. However, by the time he rejoined the race, he was in 21st place and far behind the pack. The number-42 rider focused on gathering data for tomorrow’s race and, with two rivals crashing out and another one retiring from the race, Rins completed the Sprint in 18th place, 43.428s from the leader.
After today’s results, Quartararo is now in joint 8th place in the overall standings with 141 points, and Rins holds 19th position with 45 points. Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP are 6th in the team championship with 186 points, and Yamaha remain in 5th position in the constructor championship with 172 points.
On the Japanese GP Sunday, the teammates will start the track action with the Warm Up held from 09:40-09:50 (GMT+9), followed by the 24-lap Race starting at 14:00.
Massimo Meregalli
Team Director, Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP
“Fabio delivered a strong performance in qualifying this morning and showed some good defensive riding again this afternoon. Slotting into sixth early on, he defended that position well. He withstood Marini’s pressure, and it earned him and our team four points. Álex was unlucky at the start. Though not personally involved in the Turn 1 incident, he was forced into the gravel to avoid the chaos. The gravel traps here are quite deep, so it requires skill and patience to bring the bike back onto the track safely. It ended his chances to fight with rivals today, but we have another opportunity tomorrow. We’ll use today’s data to maximize our potential for the main race.”
Fabio Quartararo
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Rider
“I couldn’t attack the front group, so I had to defend my position instead. I pushed to the maximum, and I did some 1’44s at the beginning, which is quite fast for us. But today our pace was not enough to fight with the top guys. Tomorrow’s longer race will also be a challenge, but I know how hard I can brake here. Luca had more pace than me today, but I had to defend my position, and I was quite good.”
Álex Rins
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Rider
“After almost colliding with the bike of Martin or Bezzecchi and nearly crashing in the first corner, I went straight. I saw that bike from up close, and I was very lucky. In this type of crash you can get hurt easily. After that, losing 30 seconds on the first lap, I was riding by myself. We changed the set-up a bit today, and though I was not feeling super good on the bike, my pace was not bad: there were some 1’44s and some 1’45s. We need to analyse the data well. For tomorrow, we will go back to the previous setting and see how it compares. I’m looking forward to a do-over.”
