Japanese GP Sprint Race reports/results/points + Moto2/3 Qualifying

MotoGP 2023

Round 14 – Japanese Grand Prix

The MotoGP World Championship title fight closed up further on Saturday in Japan with Jorge Martin once again dominant to take maximum points.

Brad Binder second after pushing Martin all the way. It was very nearly a KTM 2-3 but Pecco Bagnaia got the better of Jack Miller after a great tussle unfolded between the defending champion and the Australian over the final laps.

MotoGP Sprint Race Report

The best start on the front row came from polesitter Jorge Martin as he shot forward for the holeshot, with Miller out-dragging Pecco for second as Binder then also managed to slot up the inside of the reigning Champion into third.

Binder wasn’t for sitting behind team-mate Miller for long though, taking over in second after a brutal but fair move and then tagging onto the rear wheel of Martin. Almost immediately, the two were creating a small but real gap, leaving Miller between that lead duo and another comprising Bagnaia and Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team).

By third race distance, Martin and Binder were starting to pull the pin. Miller was then left looking over his shoulder as Bagnaia homed in, with Marquez also losing ground to the duo ahead of him – making it two duels at the front followed by what was becoming an increasingly close fight for fifth headed by an eight-time World Champion.

On Lap 6, there was a first real move in that fight as Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) attacked and passed Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing), the young Italian then able to lock on to Marquez almost immediately. Bezzecchi feinted a couple of moves before committing to a lunge, but ultimately overcooked it and sent both of them wide, letting a fast-starting Zarco back through and allowing Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) to split the duo too.

Up ahead, Martin was on the march by the final few laps, with Binder in a secure second and Bagnaia still wrapped up behind Miller, keenly looking for a way past. He saw one and took it on Lap 9, but the Australian wasn’t having it. And so began a poetic and epic scrap to complete the Sprint podium, with both sideways, and pushing their front tyres to the absolute limit, and sometimes past it, until a final and decisive move on the penultimate lap saw Miller forced to cede.

Miller then watched the Ducati just edge out of reach, forced to settle for fourth and forced to keep it pinned thereafter too as a late charge from Zarco started to reel him in.

Just up the road, Martin managed to hold on to just over a second of breathing space ahead of Binder, with the two taking the top two steps on Saturday as Bagnaia came home third to complete the Sprint rostrum.

Behind, Miller did manage to hold off Zarco’s late threat, with the Australian taking fourth by a tenth.

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After his earlier ambition outweighed track limits when attacking Marquez, Bezzecchi had to get the hammer down get back past and stay ahead, with the eight-time World Champion right back on his rear wheel on the last two laps. A quality final lap ensured the Italian was just able to stay ahead, coming come P6 as Marquez took seventh.

Behind that battle but not by much, Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP) took his first Sprint points in P8, within a second of Marquez by the flag as his impressive Japanese GP continues.

Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) took the final Sprint point in P9. Team-mate Aleix Espargaro, after fighting for fifth in the early stages, was forced to pull into pitlane and retire.

Fabio Quartararo was the first Yamaha across the line in 15th with team-mate Franco Morbidelli in close company, the pair almost 20-seconds behind the winner.

MotoGP Sprint Race Results

MotoGP Rider Quotes

Jorge Martin – P1

“I can’t be happier, Pole and Sprint today, I’m super satisfied. Together with the team we are doing an incredible job, we are. under a lucky star I can say… but we deserve it.”

Brad Binder – P2

“I had a great start and dived into Turn 1 past a couple of guys on the inside. My plan was to get up to the front straightaway but the pace was incredible and I could not believe the lap-times we were doing. It was a good race though and I’m happy to be back on the podium. My boys did an amazing job and my bike has worked better than it has all year so let’s try again tomorrow.”

Pecco Bagnaia – P3

“I’m happy overall with third place. After the crash I suffered in India, it was important to get a good result. It wasn’t easy cause I had to fight hard with Jack, and I couldn’t take advantage of the tyre grip during the race’s early stages and get to the front. Honestly, I was expecting more grip this afternoon cause this morning, I was quite fast with used tyres. But in the race, I had never felt comfortable. Tomorrow, it will be important to start well and take good advantage of the tyres in the first laps”.

Jack Miller – P4

“That felt good. It was nice fighting with these boys. I ran into a little bit of an issue with the right side of the tire, especially the front, and was struggling to stop the bike, so I was doing what I could to protect my position. Finally, I had a little moment at the bottom of the hill and that opened the door. Generally, the bike is working really well and I’m happy with the performance. If we could just tidy-up a few little things and also my riding can be a bit better then I think we can do a really top job tomorrow.”

Johann Zarco – P5

“I end the day happy, a good Sprint, we finally found what we were looking for and things went better. It’s a shame about qualifying because we could have done better and starting from further up obviously would have helped but if I can start well like today we have a chance of doing well in the race tomorrow too.”

Marco Bezzecchi – P6

“Not the race I was hoping for: I recovered well in qualifying after the crash, but I made at least three mistakes in the race. At the start I used the device at the wrong time and Binder and Marquez overtook me. Then the overtaking on Zarco and also the first attempt on Marquez because perhaps I tried at a point where he was very strong. I wasted a lot of time and the contact with the Top riders. I’m happy with the sensations while riding, let’s turn the page on the race.”

Marc Marquez – P7

“I think the highlight of our day was jumping from Q1 to Q2 and starting on the third row was a good objective. Seventh position is a solid day, not the best but I tried hard to follow the leading group because that’s my character. The tyres started to drop towards the end, and I had to go more at my normal pace after risking a lot at the start. It looks like the top ten will be the objective for tomorrow again. There are a few things to check and of course we keep trying and working for more.”

Fabio Di Giannantonio – P8

“First points in a sprint race, but that’s not all. This race gave us plenty of positives: we started well, we kept our position and I could stay with the best ones. There’s still something to improve especially at the start of the race, but we’ll be part of the game. Unfortunately, even despite a strong painkiller we still struggled towards the end of the race… let’s hope we’ll have less issues tomorrow.”

Maverick Vinales – P9

“Obviously, I can’t be satisfied. In this Sprint Race, as has happened recently, I struggled particularly with the chattering at the rear that kept me from pushing. Tomorrow we need to make up for it. I feel a bit better on the medium tyre, but above all, we need to understand what is triggering this problem that limits us tremendously.”

Raul Fernandez – P10

“I felt that I have the potential to go into Q2 yesterday and I managed to do that today. Basically, this morning, I was very fast and confident and I was happy with that. But in the Sprint race, I didn’t have a good grip and it’s something that we have to analyze to find out why we weren’t faster than in the morning session. We need to understand this as tomorrow is a longer race. Honestly, the gap to the first Aprilia is not too big, I always wanted to give them good data and I am happy that I am able to do that now. For tomorrow, if everything is put well together, I feel that I can do a really good race.”

Pol Espargaro – P11

“I was expecting a bit more of today to be honest. The sprint was pretty fast, but I did not feel comfortable enough. I struggled in all areas of the corners, on the entry, the middle and the exit, in addition to being unable to overtake, meaning that my front tyre became too hot, and the pressure too high, so I was really struggling. We are still missing a bit of speed, so we will work tonight to prepare as much as we can, and hopefully we will fight for a better result on Sunday.”

Augusto Fernandez – P12

“Overall it was a positive day for us because we recovered the feelings that we had on Friday morning. We missed Q2 for one position, but I started from P13 which is better than usual. In the Tissot Sprint, I lost a bit of time stuck behind another rider, but eventually once I had passed him, I was able to recover quite a lot because my pace was strong. Because of this, I look forward to trying again in Sunday’s race, and hopefully fight for a top 10 result.”

Joan Mir – P13

“We were hoping for more today because during Qualifying I felt pretty good, there was a chance to go to Q2 but it didn’t really line up. I am quite disappointed with how the race went overall, it the Sprint it just didn’t feel the same and we weren’t able to match the lap times. Certainly, we need to work to understand this so we can deliver on our potential and our expectations. Tonight we will look for answers so that tomorrow we can have the race we know we have the potential for.”

Miguel Oliveira – P14

“Honestly, it was disappointing today. I had a bit more pace, but I got hold up behind Raul, Augusto (Fernandez) and Franco (Morbidelli), it took a bit of imagination to try and overtake Franco, which was not easy. I finally managed to, but it kind of reduced my pace and I was trying hard to keep the same speed. But overall, it was a good preparation for tomorrow. We know for sure what we need to improve on the bike in terms of stability out of the corners to avoid spinning so much and try to start better, that is the main target for the race tomorrow.”

Fabio Quartararo – P15

“I didn‘t do a great first corner, unfortunately. I had a great start, but I didn‘t choose the right line and lost some positions. And behind some other riders it‘s difficult for us. I couldn‘t really do much after that. Hopefully we can make a better start tomorrow and gain some positions.”

Franco Morbidelli – P16

“It was a difficult Sprint. We will try to improve for tomorrow. This track is big on acceleration, and we seem to be struggling in that area. It‘s a shame for our home GP. But anyway, we will try to improve for tomorrow. If we get a good start, we will aim for a top-10 result.”

Takaaki Nakagami – P17

“This morning, we took small steps, and I felt quite good on the bike, but it was challenging to overtake other riders and get to the points positions during the Sprint. I believe we’ve got potential and are working hard to take a step as I’d like to achieve a positive result in front of my crowd”.

Cal Crutchlow – P18

“Today was a difficult day, a lot more than yesterday. We were trying to use the soft rear tyre for duration for tomorrow in Free Practice 2, which we completed in a good way. Then, unfortunately, in qualifying we had a technical problem with one of the bikes. We were unable to get the front wheel changed in time to be able to profit and make a good lap time for the qualifyings. I was optimistic that I could have been further up the grid for the Sprint and the Race tomorrow. In the Sprint, unfortunately, I took a long-lap penalty because I kept touching in the green, which I never had to do before in my racing career – to have to do a long-lap penalty. It was good to be able to get some race situation and understand the mistakes it caused in a race situation being around the other riders. So, we gathered some data, this is very important. But it was not the best Sprint, and hopefully tomorrow we can look at which package we will race and be able to get some more data for the future.”

Michele Pirro – P19

“In the Sprint race, we were able to make some progress. I had a good constant pace, and I was able to align myself with my practice times. We are not missing much to be with our target group. I hope tomorrow to take another small step forward and be even closer. It’s not easy, but as always, I will do my best”.

Stefan Bradl – P20

“I’m quite frustrated because, as a rider, you always want good results, and we are facing a difficult situation. In any case, it’s always nice and fun to be around LCR people. I feel at home with them, and it’s a pleasure helping them. Tomorrow’s race will be tough, but I’ll give my best”.

Aleix Espargaro – DNF

“This Sprint Race didn’t go as expected either. To be honest, my pace wasn’t bad and we could have aimed for a decent result. Unfortunately, it was all in vain due to a technical problem. I’m also disappointed because the Sprint Race is important in view of the race tomorrow. Data can be collected to understand bike and tyre performance.”

MotoGP Championship Points

MotoGP Q1

With only 15-minutes to secure a spot in Q2 riders wasted no time exiting pit-lane and getting down to business in the Q1 session.

First across the stripe to lay down a marker was Fabio Quartararo, a 1m44.679 that was immediately bested by Marc Marquez with 1m44.364. The Repsol Honda man then backed that up with a 1m43.997, while Quartararo improved his standing to 1m44.138.

Riders then returned to the pits for fresh rubber, final minor tweaks and to check their standing on the leaderboard before heading out again for their second run. Marc Marquez and Fabio Quartararo exiting pit-lane together, the Yamaha man leading the #93 Honda around the circuit.

Raul Fernandez pushed Fabio Quartararo back to third place with less than two-minutes left on the shot clock. The CryptoData Aprilia rider then improved his time yet again on his next lap, a 1m44.049 strengthening his hold on that tentative spot in Q2.

On his final flying lap Marc Marquez was all over the back of Fabio Quartararo as the Frenchman strove to secure a spot in Q2.

Neither improved on their final attempt and GASGAS rider Augusto Fernandez actually pushed Quartararo further back, fourth for the session means that the Frenchman will start from 14th place on the grid in this afternoon’s Sprint Race.

Joan Mir crashed late in the session when trying to improve from fifth.

Cal Crutchlow didn’t join the fray until there were only a couple of minutes remaining in the session. Problems with the wildcard Yamaha had him stranded in the pit-box for the majority of the session and put the Brit behind the eight-ball. His frustration clearly evident for all to see…

MotoGP Q1 Results

Pos	Rider	Bike	Time/Gap
1	Marc MARQUEZ	HONDA	1m43.997
2	Raul FERNANDEZ	APRILIA	+0.052
3	Augusto FERNANDEZ	KTM	+0.132
4	Fabio QUARTARARO	YAMAHA	+0.141
5	Joan MIR	HONDA	+0.153
6	Miguel OLIVEIRA	APRILIA	+0.430
7	Franco MORBIDELLI	YAMAHA	+0.524
8	Takaaki NAKAGAMI	HONDA	+0.629
9	Cal CRUTCHLOW	YAMAHA	+1.276
10	Stefan BRADL	HONDA	+1.454
11	Michele PIRRO	DUCATI	+1.710

---

MotoGP Q2

Early on in the final 15-minute qualifying session Marco Bezzecchi lost the front just after the bridge on the change of direction to the left in what was a pretty big tumble. Despite going end over end in the gravel the VR46 rider though was straight up and running in order to try and make it back to the pits to get on the spare bike and set a time.

Pramac Ducati’s Jorge Martin set the early marker at 1m43.638 and the Spaniard immediately improved on that again to lower the target to 1m43.198, setting a new all-time lap record around Motegi.

Jack Miller then went P2 on the back of a 1m43.787, almost six-tenths slower than Martin’s new lap record but that was good enough to retain that second place at the end of the first run.

A dusted up Marco Bezzecchi made it back out on track with seven-minutes remaining in the session and the remaining 11 riders in this Q2 session joined him shortly thereafter as they all set-up for their last ditch attempts at improving their positions on the grid.

Bagnaia was on a good lap that might have been good enough for pole but a mistake late on cost him a lot of time and meant that lap was only good for third, but that only lasted seconds before Fabio Di Giannantonio went quicker to push the defending champion off the front row.  Bagnaia made no mistake next time around though, a 1m43.369 promoting him back up to second place.

Jack Miller improved to 1m43.551 to strengthen his claim for a front row start, P3 with three-minutes to run…

Marco Bezzecchi had shrugged off any discomfort from that crash to get straight on the pace to claim fourth place ahead of Brad Binder, as that pair pushed Di Giannantonio back to sixth just ahead of Marc Marquez and Maverick Vinales.

MotoGP Q2 Results

Moto2 Qualifying

Somkiat Chantra (IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia) has dominated Moto2 at the Motul Grand Prix of Japan so far and Qualifying was no exception. Not content with simply claiming pole position, the Thai rider also broke the seven-year-old lap record previously set by two-time Moto2 Champion Johann Zarco with a lap time of 1:49.898.

Just a shade slower, he was followed by teammate Ai Ogura (IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia) to complete a dream start on home soil in the intermediate class at Mobility Resort Motegi for the team. Completing the front row is Jake Dixon (Inde GASGAS Aspar Team), who bounced back from Q1 to only just miss out on second.

Two-tenths of a second behind the polesitter, Championship leader Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) found himself pushed to the second row, taking fourth. The Spaniard will however be relieved to sit above his closest rival, Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) who will start Sunday’s race from 13th on the grid after a tougher Japanese GP so far. Filip Salač (QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2) and Alonso Lopez (Beta Tools SpeedUp) join Acosta on Row 2.

For Tulovic’s replacement Senna Agius, there was not much time on Saturday to make up for the practice time he had lost due to his crash at the beginning of the second practice on Friday afternoon. For the Junior Team rider, it was therefore a case of taking as much as possible with him and learning for the future. The 18-year-old Australian is more than ready to do that when he starts the 19-lap race on Sunday from 29th place on row 10.

Senna Agius – P29

“Today was about catching ourselves a little bit, because after the loss of Friday we are lagging a session. But I improved by a second in qualifying, although the position I think I deserve, or rather what we are able to do, does not fit. But sometimes things go like this, and you definitely learn from it. Maybe tomorrow we’ll have different weather conditions, but we’ll do our best and try to learn something over the long race distance.”

Moto2 Qualifying Results

Moto2 Championship Points

Moto3 Qualifying

Momentum continues to swing the way of Jaume Masia after the Leopard Racing rider secured his third consecutive pole, pulling two tenths clear in Moto3 qualifying at the Motul Grand Prix of Japan. The Spaniard will be joined on the front row by Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Matteo Bertelle (Rivacold Snipers Team).

David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports) and Ayumu Sasaki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) were the early pacesetters, but all eyes were on the in form Masia, and for good reason too. Receiving a tow from teammate Tatsuki Suzuki down the back straight, he moved the goalposts. Öncü, who following the Honda home, joined him in the top two. The Turk also improved on the next lap, but so did Masia and that was how P1 and P2 on the grid was decided.

With two minutes remaining, Bertelle launched himself onto the front row of the grid at the expense of Muñoz, while Stefano Nepa (Angeluss MTA Team) then went fourth as he took the chequered flag, equalling his best-ever qualifying result.

The Italian’s tea-mmate Ivan Ortola joins him on the second row. Championship leader Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Tech3) also qualified well as he prepares to defend that position from Masia, taking sixth.

Collin Veijer recorded the seventh best time of the session, but a three place grid penalty is coming his way, which promotes Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP teammate Sasaki and Muñoz up a place, and puts David Alonso (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team) onto the third row.

Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets – MSI) also has a grid penalty, as does Q1 graduate Joel Kelso (CFMoto Racing PrüstelGP), meaning home riders Kaito Toba (SIC58 Squadra Corse) and Ryusei Yamanaka (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team) join Veijer on the fourth row instead.

Moto3 Qualifying Results

Moto3 Championship Points

Japanese Grand Prix Schedule
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2023 MotoGP Calendar