MotoGP Japan, FP1 standings: Marquez fastest; crash and weekend over for Nakagami

Immediate Ducati-Aprilia duel in FP1 at Motegi: the reigning champion tops the charts, with rivals close behind. Nakagami KO.

The first MotoGP free practice session of the Japanese Grand Prix is in the books. The best time belongs to Marc Marquez, who finished in 1'44"073, ahead of Jorge Martin’s Aprilia by 99 thousandths and Marco Bezzecchi by 133. The three riders leading the overall standings were immediately on form, even though the true pecking order should only emerge in the afternoon Practice, given that the first part of the morning session was largely useless due to track conditions. All teams still have plenty of work to do on Motegi’s new asphalt.

At the start of the session the track conditions were less than ideal, it was damp and running laps involved risks. In Turn 11 Bezzecchi nearly crashed, which then happened to Takaaki Nakagami, who ended up in the Medical Center due to a heavy impact on his left shoulder. Unfortunately, the Honda wild card rider suffered a fracture of the left collarbone and was declared unfit for the weekend. In the first 15 minutes only three riders had set times: Chantra, Razgatlioglu, and Miller. Then, gradually, the others joined the action.

Paolo Bonora, Aprilia Racing race manager, spoke to Sky Sport MotoGP at the start of FP1: "The new asphalt is a question mark for everyone, all the references need to be reset compared to the past. It seems to be extremely well made, smooth and compact. Probably in dry conditions it will have very good grip, but in the wet it’s almost more slippery than worn asphalt."

Davide Tardozzi, Ducati team manager, also spoke to Sky Sport MotoGP about 15 minutes from the end of the session: "Marquez and Bagnaia complained about the same things. They have some issues under braking and on corner entry, and also on acceleration, where the bike runs a bit wide. But it’s the first session and with new asphalt, I think the conditions didn’t let the riders push hard. There’s no problem with the brakes. The issue that made braking difficult in Austria was identified; I believe and hope it won’t happen again."

Behind the Marquez-Martin-Bezzecchi trio is Alex Marquez with the BK8 Gresini Ducati, ahead of Johann Zarco’s LCR Honda and Fabio Quartararo’s Yamaha. The Frenchman would love to remain in that position for the rest of the weekend, but it’s unlikely his M1 will allow him to stay in the top 6 at Motegi.

Eighth time for Pecco Bagnaia, dominant at the 2025 MotoGP weekend in Japan and determined to do well again in 2026. Just behind him is Fabio Di Giannantonio, while Pedro Acosta rounds out the top 10. The KTM rider is eager to confirm his competitiveness after his victory in the Austrian GP. This morning’s FP1 still tells us very little.

-> Follow us on Instagram: @Corsedimoto