MotoGP News: Bagnaia tops Friday practice at Motegi

Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) kicked off the Japan Grand Prix weekend in commanding fashion, topping the opening practice session with a blistering 1m44.857s lap. The #63 rider, rebounding from challenging weekends in Barcelona and Misano, outpaced Aprilia Racing’s Jorge Martin and championship leader Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) to claim the fastest time.

Bagnaia set the early benchmark, dipping into the 1m44s and holding the lead for much of the session. With 15 minutes remaining, teammate Marquez briefly took over, but Bagnaia responded decisively, reclaiming the top spot with nine minutes to go. His confidence grew as the session progressed, culminating in a late improvement that secured his position. Reigning champion Martin surged to second, edging out Marquez, while Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) took fourth. Honda’s Luca Marini shone at the manufacturer’s home Grand Prix, finishing fifth as the top Honda rider.

Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) claimed sixth but suffered a late crash at Turn 5, followed shortly by Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP), who went down at the same corner and settled for eighth. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), the top KTM rider, split them in seventh. Somkiat Chantra (IDEMITSU Honda LCR) delivered his best session of 2025, taking ninth and second among Hondas, with Miguel Oliveira (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP) rounding out the top ten.

Drama struck early for Aprilia riders Marco Bezzecchi and Raul Fernandez, who crashed at Turns 11 and 8, respectively, just three laps into the session. Bezzecchi’s day worsened with a second fall at Turn 5. Late in the session, Enea Bastianini (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) also went down at Turn 10. It was a tough outing for Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), who finished 16th, just behind Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP), the championship’s second-placed rider, in 15th.

Friday Practice 1 Results