Jorge Martin claimed MotoGP pole at the Japanese Grand Prix, clocking 1:42.371—ten-tenths faster than rival Marc Marquez.
Martin’s record‑shattering launch
The factory Aprilia rider slashed the Motegi lap record during Q2, edging Marquez by a tenth of a second.
Martin’s time of 1:42.371 stands above the previous best, marking his third pole in as many months.
Marquez family showdown
Alex Marquez first set a benchmark of 1:42.878, but his brother broke that mark with 1:42.481.
Alex fell short once more on his next attempt, leaving Marquez’s brother in provisional pole before the final scratch‑off.
Marc then mis‑lined at Turn 3, allowing Martin to seal the grid’s top spot despite being faster in the early sectors.
Front‑row rivals line up
Pedro Acosta, riding KTM’s factory bike, secured third with a lap just 0.122 seconds behind Martin.
Marco Bezzecchi captured fourth on the other Aprilia, while the Gresini Ducati’s Alex Marquez slipped to fifth.
Fabio di Giannantonio took sixth for VR46, narrowly ahead of Technical KTM’s Enea Bastianini.
Midfield movement and Japanese riders
Raul Fernandez surged from 12th to third in Q1 for Trackhouse, yet Martin still podium‑shored Q2.
Ai Ogura qualified 11th, racing on home soil with a single bike after a crash in FP2.
Diogo Moreira and Johann Zarco of LCR placed ninth and tenth; Zarco held on after a Turn 9 mishap.
Fabio Quartararo rounded out the top‑12 for Yamaha, with the squad stacking Jack Miller, Alex Rins, and Toprak Razgatlıoğlu.
Late‑breakfast grid shuffle
Bagnaia missed Q2 due to Fernandez’s fast run, finding himself 13th on a circuit where he broke the lap record last year.
Both other Ducati teams—Franco Morbidelli (VR46) and Fermin Aldeguer (Gresini)—failed to progress past Q1, finishing 14th and 18th.
Somkiat Chantra returned to MotoGP with Joan Mir’s spare model, topping 15th and surpassing teammate Luca Marini.
Brad Binder crashed at Turn 12, qualifying 17th behind Marini, while Maverick Vinales, still recovering, finished 19th.
Martin’s decisive lap at Motegi sets the tone for a fiercely contested race weekend, with front‑row battles poised to test both power and precision on Japan’s demanding circuit.
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