2024 MotoGP World Championship
Round 16 – Motegi – Saturday
Motul Grand Prix of Japan
Francesco Bagnaia – P1
“It surely wasn’t an easy race as there were some wet patches and a few drops of rain. We used the sighting lap to get a better understanding of the track conditions, at the expense of some race performance. I had a good start and managed to lead in the early laps, but Pedro (Acosta) was really strong and he was pushing a little bit beyond what I thought was my limit. When I thought about letting the tyre cool off a bit, before pushing again, he crashed out of the race. It wasn’t an easy situation as there were again a few drops of rain. I was aware of the lead I had on Enea (Bastianini) during the last lap, so I just chose to manage the gap and to avoid any risk.”
Enea Bastianini – P2
“It was a great sprint race. I wasn’t close enough to Pecco (Bagnaia) to try and take the win as I had lost a bit of time in the final two-three laps. Marc (Márquez) did get really close and managed to overtake me, but at turn 11 I simply released the brakes, and it worked. This battle pushed me into giving that little extra on the last lap, while trying to avoid any unnecessary risk. It’s true that I did a competitive lap, but Pecco surely managed the lead he had. This second place his still an excellent result.”
Marc Marquez – P3
“We were unlucky as we just barely ended up on the green stripe, but then the notification arrived too late preventing us from giving it another go and qualifying further ahead on the grid. It was my duty to keep it together mentally and bounce back. We battled with Bastianini for second, but he did a great job in defending his position.”
Fabio Di Giannantonio – P6
“It was an OK race, maybe starting ahead would have helped me. In qualifying I tried, I stayed out hoping to at least get into the second row. It didn’t go that way and in the race we were missing something. This is the first weekend in which I’m almost 100%, even reducing the painkillers. Tomorrow in the long race the physical effort, also based on the compound we will use, will be less. We can get another good placing.”
Alex Marquez – P7
“It was a positive day, albeit with no real highlight. I didn’t do a good qualifying but then we were competitive in the race. Miller, who was in front of us for long, unfortunately did hamper our performance as it took a long time to get past him. Tyre choice will be crucial tomorrow, but we have margin to do well and to race for the top positions.”
Jack Miller – P8
“Qualifying was what is was: the same pace I had been doing all weekend. We made a radical change for the Sprint and it worked a bit better for me. I could fight in the group there. I need to try and understand the tyre drop a bit better because it was closing on me quite a bit. It was hard to fully commit to the corners. We have some work to do.”
Maverick Vinales – P9
“At the start of the race, I didn’t disengage the front device and I lost several positions. Sunday will be a new race, but I am still optimistic. In qualifying, I managed to work some magic, so I hope to be able to do the same in the long race too.”
Marco Bezzecchi – P10
“Today I definitely struggled more than yesterday, especially in qualifying, but also in the Sprint. The grip conditions here are very different from Mandalika and I’m not completely comfortable in riding. We have today’s data to analyse, the goal is to find solutions and close the gap. Maybe a race in the wet would also help me make that little step forward on T1 and T4. We’ll try again tomorrow.”
Raul Fernandez – P11
“We were fighting for Q2 and almost top 10 in the Sprint today so, what I said yesterday was exactly what happened today. It is, more or less, always what we do during the weekend – the Friday is quite complicated for us, but after that we find some solutions and on Saturday we are fast. It’s a bit late but today I enjoyed it as I was fighting in the group for P7 or P6 in the Sprint and basically, we did a really good job today. However, this is not enough, we need to prepare the weekend better, especially on Friday when everything happens in a short time and for the future, this is something, we have to focus on and improve. Today the track was good even with the rain before the race. I was fast in Qualifying, again close to getting into Q2 and my pace in the Sprint was good. I’d like to have this feeling on Friday, but we got there on Saturday and now we have the bike I like. We also now found something more and we know what we have to do to improve the bike for tomorrow. Overall, it’s working well, I feel comfortable, also in the hard braking area, so today was really positive.”
Fabio Quartararo – P12
“It was a difficult Sprint. The track conditions affect our results. If there’s grip, we’re okay, if there’s no grip, we are far from the front. It was raining a little bit, and these conditions are difficult for us. We have to take this experience on board and see if there’s something we can improve. But it’s not a matter of the set-up, it’s more a matter of rear grip.”
Luca Marini – P13
“I was surprised at our pace; it was very close to the group in front of me and our position isn’t too bad, so I have to be satisfied with today when we look at where we were yesterday and where we started the race. We knew coming here that the layout of this track would be tough for us, but we have been able to fight and make progress which is the key. Now we need to check the data of the other riders to see what they are doing differently. Some more things to try in the morning to make another step, but we are making progress and able to do this at each race now.”
Johann Zarco – P14
“Today, I made a mistake at the beginning of the race, and when trying to recover from it, I pushed my teammate out of the track. I was overtaking him, but it didn’t end up well, and of course, that’s not cool when it’s your teammate. I apologised to him; this is part of racing. We’ll try again tomorrow, although we know it will be hard as I’ve received a long lap penalty due to the incident”.
Augusto Fernandez – P15
“The pace was not so bad with used tyres in FP2, with a better feeling than Friday. However in the sprint, I was feeling the jumps and vibrations again, and they became more intense as soon as the tyres dropped. It was very hard for me to ride. We will need to focus on these issues tonight and try fixing them if we want to have a chance to fight for points tomorrow.
Alex Rins – P16
“We tried a big change on the bike, something different from the Quali to the Sprint race because the step that we made between Friday afternoon and FP2 on Saturday morning was very small, and I couldn’t feel the improvement. So, we took the risk of doing something bolder for the Sprint race, and we found something. We’re still super far from the front, but the engineers are analysing the data because the rear contact with the track did improve a little.”
Lorenzo Savadori – P17
“Not so bad, finally. As I said yesterday, I don’t have the bike at 100% for me because I have the specific specification for Miguel and of course, it is not simple to adapt to a different bike but, we tried some new things which worked quite good. Unfortunately, I made a little mistake with 4 laps to go when I was in front of Alex Rins but, in general, the race pace was not so bad. Yesterday, we did not get to do a lot of laps and also today, the conditions were a bit tricky because in Qualifying it rained a little bit, but the asphalt was dry and also in the race, conditions were tricky. I am happy as we found a few new things which will work better for the future.”
Remy Gardner – P18
“In the end, we improved a lot today. I’m still missing a little confidence with the bike and understanding of the tyres. But I was quite happy with the qualifying, and the Sprint race up to the halfway point was very good. Then we had a big drop in the rear tyre, which we need to understand how to manage. It was also the first time I was riding with the hard front, so it was a learning experience. We learned some things, and hopefully we can improve more tomorrow.”
Pedro Acosta – DNF
“We were super close from that first win today, and it is what makes it very difficult to accept. I made a mistake, and I can only blame myself for that, so all I need to do is put my head down and focus on tomorrow. We have been really competitive all weekend, our race starts are getting better and better, and we are closer to the front guys weekend after weekend. For these reasons, we need to be happy with the laps we spent at the lead today, and head to tomorrow’s race knowing that we can do it again.”
Aleix Espargaro – DNF
“I improved a bit in the sprint race. I tried a different setup, very similar to Maverick’s. It worked well and I felt comfortable. In fact, I was coming back, but then the temperature and the front tyre pressure raised quite a bit. At that point, it was extremely hard to ride the bike, and the front end locked up, making me crash on turn 1.”
Joan Mir – DNF
“It is easy to look at our position and be upset, but when we look at what happened today was a day of positives. On the first lap I almost high-sided at Turn 10 and then when I arrived to Turn 11 I couldn’t stop so I went into the gravel. I recovered and after a couple of laps I was able to really unleash my speed and I have to say I am happy with my pace. The speed was that same as the guys fighting in the top eight and we have to be happy with that level of improvement. A better grid position would help us a lot. Tomorrow I am feeling confident for the longer race with the speed we showed today.”
Brad Binder – DNF
“Cool to be on the second row and I got a decent start. I was just figuring everything out when unfortunately we had a small electronic malfunction and that meant the race was over. Luckily, we have tomorrow to try again. This track suits our bike very well and the hard braking zones is where we are strong and can make up time. It would be good if we can take advantage of that on Sunday.”
Takaaki Nakagami DNF
“I’m disappointed with the way my Sprint has finished. It was a risky movement by my teammate, and I ended up on the gravel. Fortunately, I’m fine. This is my home Grand Prix, and I want to reset; tomorrow, we’ll have another chance and need to be ready to fight. I want to thank my fans and team for their support, it means a lot to me”.
Team Managers
Francesco Guidotti – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager
“A wonderful Friday for Brad with P1 and direct Q2 where he then took a good 5th place in uncertain conditions. It was far from easy with the mix between wet and dry and he didn’t quite find the right window to push but it was good enough for the second row. A good start as usual for him in the Sprint but unfortunately a technical issue did not allow him to fight until the end. We need to check what happened and solve it. Jack was struggling a bit in qualifying but he made a super-start and took some Sprint points. It could be better for him but we have to start from somewhere and points today hopefully also means points for tomorrow.”
Nicolas Goyon – Tech3 Team Manager
“It was an unbelievable and historical day for the Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 team in Motegi. Coming to Japan, we knew that the RC16 worked well here and that we could have chances of doing something good, in addition to Pedro Acosta’s very good form. But wow. Pedro took his first pole position in MotoGP, in his rookie year, which is an incredible achievement. He had strong chances for a podium in the sprint, he took a great start with a strong pace, passed some big names like Bastianini and Bagnaia to lead most of the race. He felt quite comfortable, and tried to push to dig a bigger gap, but sadly he lost the front and crashed while leading. Of course it is sad, but today’s performance gives us a lot of confidence heading to tomorrow’s race. One thing is sure, we will have another chance to shine on Sunday. Augusto Fernandez’ Saturday has again been tricky as he continued to face his vibration issues during the sprint. This has been holding off our performance for a few races now, and everyone is focused to try fixing that issue. We will try to make a step forward ahead of Sunday’s main race.”
Wilco Zeelernberg – Trackhouse Team Manager
“The Sprint race is done in Motegi. I think Lorenzo made a good race; he had strong pace and was fighting with Rins, of course, at the back of the field, but finishing 17th in front of Remy and fighting with Alex and Augusto Fernandez is a good result. It’s not very easy to find your rhythm on racetracks like this, so chapeau to him and I hope we can support him a bit more to find something on the brakes tomorrow and gain a couple of tenths. Raul did a good race as well, in my eyes. He was fighting with Bezzecchi for the places that we should be in but, obviously, it’s disappointing to have no points – this is the Sprint situation at the moment. We have to accept where we are and if he can finish in the top 10 tomorrow, it would be fantastic. That’s our goal and I think Raul is able to achieve that tomorrow.”
Romano Albesiano – Aprilia Racing
“Maverick’s third place in qualifying was a result that gave us confidence. It’s a shame about the start and the opening scrum, because Maverick had the potential to bring home a good result in the sprint race. Aleix made a leap forward in terms of performance in the sprint race, managing to recover several positions to get close to the group where Maverick was too. It’s a shame about the crash just two laps from the end. In the long race, we’ll have a new chance to demonstrate our potential.”
Massimo Meregalli – Monster Yamaha Team Director
“Overall, it was a difficult day, with the only highlight being that Fabio was able to go from Q1 to Q2 with a perfect lap. Unfortunately, our performance today reflected and confirmed what we had already found between yesterday’s Practice and today’s FP2. We used today’s Sprint to try some things to improve the bike, and we will now analyse the data, and, if required, tomorrow we will tweak the settings and race with another configuration.”
Kazutoshi Seki – Yamaha Factory Racing Test Team Leader
“Today’s sessions were important for the test team. FP2 allowed us to gather some more testing data, and the Sprint was vital as it gave us our first data from a ‘race-like’ setting for the prototype items. It was a tough Sprint race for Remy because he was trying different things on the bike today and also because the track conditions kept changing. The team is trying to find a good balance between the new test parts, while Remy is trying to get used to what is essentially a ‘new bike’ with a new set-up each time he heads out on track. All in all, it was a productive day, though. We completed what we had set out to do for today. Now we need to analyse the data very carefully so we can decide on what testing items to try in tomorrow’s Race.”
Motegi MotoGP Sprint Race Report
The gap in the Championship is back down to 15 points after a rollercoaster Tissot Sprint at the Motul Grand Prix of Japan. Reigning Champion Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) lands the spoils as he stayed flawless under pressure at the front, taking over after a heartbreaker crash out the lead for rookie and polesitter Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3).
The podium behind was then decided by a spectacular Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) vs Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) showdown, before the two then also homed in on Bagnaia for an incredibly close finish over the line. Championship leader Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) came home fourth, moving forward from a tough qualifying but unable to quite get into the rostrum fight.
Bagnaia got a scrappier start but was able to make it back, just getting it under control in the braking area to nab the holeshot from Acosta. Bastianini then briefly got ahead of Acosta in the early stages before the rookie hit back, and behind them Martin and Marquez had made big gains. After the first shuffle concluded, Bagnaia, Acosta, Bastianini and Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was the leading quartet ahead of a small gap back to the #89-#93 duo in fifth and sixth.
The fireworks started there on Lap 2. Marquez went for it at T10 and got it done, but the two stayed close together in the race to catch the front four and Martin wasn’t ultimately able to reply. There were then more fireworks at the front as Acosta went for a late dive for the lead at Turn 5, likewise making that stick and forcing Bagnaia to tuck in behind. Bastianini remained close company too, before the three gained a little more time in their wake as Binder pulled off to the side of the track with a technical issue, leaving some space.
From there, Acosta was on a charge. The rookie held the reigning Champion at bay looking comfortable enough, but then it all came apart. Already with his head in his hands as he slid across the gravel, the mistake was made and the win gone. Bagnaia took over in the lead, with Bastianini and Marquez on the chase.
Initially, it looked comfortable enough, but there were spots of rain threatening and the #93’s reputation preceded him. All over the back of Bastianini, he went for the move but the ‘Beast’ wasn’t for turning. Marquez was briefly ahead, the two were side-by-side, and then the #23 Ducati was sailing back up the inside. Somehow, Bastianini got it stopped and was back into second – and then the two started eating into Bagnaia’s lead.
Metre by metre, the gap to the front disappeared as the grey skies threatened again. But half a second proved the limit for the duo on the chase, and the #1 crossed the line ahead by just over a tenth, with all three covered by 0.349 at the flag. Bagnaia’s win cuts the gap back down to 15 points as Martin came home fourth, unable to get in the podium fight on Saturday.
Bastianini’s second place, meanwhile, keeps him just ahead of Marquez in the Championship and the two completing the podium ensures they make a gain – however small – on Martin overall…
Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing) finished P5, just able to stay ahead of Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) as his compatriot hounded him to the flag. In a big group battle behind, Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) just came out on top ahead of Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), with Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) taking the final Sprint point as Marco Bezzeccchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) just missed out.
There was some home heartbreak for Takaaki Nakagami (IDEMITSU Honda LCR) as some unfortunate contact from his CASTROL Honda LCR teammate ended his final home Sprint as a full time rider early. Zarco was given a Long Lap penalty for the incident after also having come together Joan Mir (Repsol Honda Team) earlier in the race and will be looking for some amends on Sunday.
MotoGP Motegi Sprint Race Results
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Time/Gap |
| 1 | F Bagnaia | Duc | 21m01.074 |
| 2 | E Bastianini | Duc | +0.181 |
| 3 | M Marquez | Duc | +0.349 |
| 4 | J Martin | Duc | +2.498 |
| 5 | F Morbidelli | Duc | +4.326 |
| 6 | F Giannantonio | Duc | +4.446 |
| 7 | A Marquez | Duc | +11.444 |
| 8 | J Miller | KTM | +11.875 |
| 9 | M Viñales | APRILIA | +11.947 |
| 10 | M Bezzecchi | DUCATI | +12.299 |
| 11 | R Fernandez | APRILIA | +14.559 |
| 12 | F Quartararo | YAMAHA | +14.645 |
| 13 | L Marini | HONDA | +15.886 |
| 14 | J Zarco | HONDA | +16.170 |
| 15 | A Fernandez | KTM | +20.522 |
| 16 | A Rins | YAMAHA | +24.415 |
| 17 | L Savadori | APRILIA | +25.482 |
| 18 | R Gardner | YAMAHA | +32.620 |
| Not Classified | |||
| DNF | J Mir | Hon | 1 lap |
| DNF | A Espargaro | Apr | 3 laps |
| DNF | P Acosta | Ktm | 4 laps |
| DNF | T Nakagami | Hon | 8 laps |
| DNF | B Binder | Ktm | 10 laps |
MotoGP Qualifying
A rookie on pole with a new lap record, track limits for an eight-time World Champion and a crash for the Championship leader make the headlines overflow after qualifying at the Motul Grand Prix of Japan, with a fascinating grid set for our showdowns at Round 16.
Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3), just hours after being mathematically confirmed as Rookie of the Year, took a maiden pole in MotoGP with a new lap record. He’s the first KTM/GASGAS rider to start from pole since Portugal 2020, and heads reigning Champion Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) after the #1 stayed cool to move up from P12. Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) completes the front row as Aprilia get back in the mix at the front, making it three factories one Row 1.
Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) put in what seemed like a pole lap before it was dramatically scrubbed off for track limits, demoting him down the order onto Row 3, and it was an even more costly session for Championship leader Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) as he crashed out – rider ok – but is now set to start from P11 for the Tissot Sprint and Grand Prix in Japan.
MotoGP Motegi Qualifying Times
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Time/Gap | Speed |
| Q2 | ||||
| 1 | P Acosta | KTM | 1m43.018 | 318.5 |
| 2 | F Bagnaia | Duc | +0.246 | 315.7 |
| 3 | M Viñales | Apr | +0.423 | 315.7 |
| 4 | E Bastianini | Duc | +0.521 | 316.7 |
| 5 | B Binder | Ktm | +0.643 | 319.5 |
| 6 | F Morbidelli | Duc | +0.810 | 316.7 |
| 7 | F Giannantoni | Duc | +0.980 | 314.8 |
| 8 | M Bezzecchi | Duc | +1.055 | 315.7 |
| 9 | M Marquez | Duc | +1.118 | 315.7 |
| 10 | A Marquez | Duc | +1.245 | 313.0 |
| 11 | J Martin | Duc | +1.285 | 317.6 |
| 12 | F Quartararo | Yam | +1.479 | 312.1 |
| Q1 | ||||
| 13 | R Fernandez | Apr | (*) 0.376 | 311.2 |
| 14 | J Miller | Ktm | (*) 0.447 | 313.0 |
| 15 | A Espargaro | Apr | (*) 0.456 | 314.8 |
| 16 | J Zarco | Hon | (*) 0.556 | 313.0 |
| 17 | J Mir | Hon | (*) 0.752 | 313.0 |
| 18 | A Fernandez | Ktm | (*) 0.801 | 312.1 |
| 19 | A Rins | Yam | (*) 0.806 | 312.1 |
| 20 | L Marini | Hon | (*) 0.902 | 310.3 |
| 21 | T Nakagami | Hon | (*) 1.140 | 309.4 |
| 22 | L Savadori | Apr | (*) 1.676 | 313.0 |
| 23 | R Gardner | Yam | (*) 1.848 | 311.2 |
MotoGP Championship Standings
| Pos | Rider | Points |
| 1 | Martin | 372 |
| 2 | Bagnaia | 357 |
| 3 | Bastianini | 300 |
| 4 | Marquez | 295 |
| 5 | Acosta | 181 |
| 6 | Binder | 173 |
| 7 | Viñales | 163 |
| 8 | Espargaro | 127 |
| 9 | Di Giannantonio | 126 |
| 10 | Bezzecchi | 125 |
| 11 | Morbidelli | 125 |
| 12 | Marquez | 124 |
| 13 | Quartararo | 82 |
| 14 | Oliveira | 71 |
| 15 | Miller | 60 |
| 16 | Fernandez | 55 |
| 17 | Zarco | 31 |
| 18 | Nakagami | 25 |
| 19 | Rins | 20 |
| 20 | Mir | 20 |
| 21 | Fernandez | 20 |
| 22 | Espargaro | 12 |
| 23 | Pedrosa | 7 |
| 24 | Marini | 5 |
Moto2
Tricky conditions were the name of the game in Moto2 qualifying and timing the table-topping lap to perfection was Jake Dixon (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team). The Briton’s early 1:52.693 was enough to seal pole position by just 0.006s as Q1 graduate Zonta van den Goorbergh (RW-Idrofoglia Racing GP) secured his best Saturday result of the season in P2, while Indonesian GP winner Aron Canet (Fantic Racing) claimed P3.
Jake Dixon – P1
“It has been crazy. The weather here changes every moment, one minute it is not raining and then, in the next minute, it is raining. Honestly, I knew that the first lap was going to be key. I have started to pass a few riders on the out lap, because it was starting to rain quite hard and I wanted to do a good first lap. The conditions were tricky, so we have had to take it calmly. Luckily, I have managed to do it. We have a great race tomorrow. We need to try to impose our pace and see what we can do. We do not know what the conditions will be like because the track dries super quickly, but it can quite easily go the opposite way.”
Joe Roberts (OnlyFans American Racing Team) spearheads a second row that is made up of an on-song Izan Guevara (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team) and rookie Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team).
Row 3 is fronted by another Q1 graduate in the form of Barry Baltus (RW-Idrofoglia Racing GP), with the Belgian joined by two of the top three in the title chase – Alonso Lopez (Beta Tools SpeedUp) and World Championship leader Ai Ogura (MT Helmets – MSI).
There’s work to be done on Sunday for Fermin Aldeguer (Beta Tools SpeedUp) and MT Helmets – MSI’s Sergio Garcia as two 2024 race winners launch from P15 and P17 respectively.
Rookie Senna Agius, who is no stranger to the track after his substitute start in 2023, worked with his crew from Friday morning onwards to improve his feeling for the track. Unfortunately, a 20th place in P1 and a 21st place in P2 meant he had to start in Q1, which he ultimately did not make it past. The sixth place from Q1 means the 20th starting position on row seven for the 19-year-old Australian, who is expecting a lot from the 19-lap race despite the difficulties so far.
Senna Agiua – P20
“The conditions didn’t allow us to improve this morning. On the other hand, we had a good feeling with the wet tyres, with which we weren’t doing too badly. But qualifying was dry. In terms of lap time, we made a big step compared to yesterday, but it wasn’t enough to get into Q2, which is a bit of a shame. Nevertheless, I’m positive going into tomorrow because we’ve found something on the bike that will allow me to ride a bit more freely in the race and after a good start we’ll try to score as many points as possible. The most important thing is to try and stay positive to finish the weekend the best way possible.”
Moto2 Qualifying Results
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Time/Gap | Speed |
| Q2 | ||||
| 1 | J Dixon | Kal | 1m52.693 | 262.1 |
| 2 | Z Goorbergh | Kal | +0.006 | 258.3 |
| 3 | A Canet | Kal | +0.307 | 261.5 |
| 4 | J Roberts | Kal | +0.309 | 258.9 |
| 5 | I Guevara | Kal | +0.423 | 264.0 |
| 6 | D Moreira | Kal | +0.433 | 261.5 |
| 7 | B Baltus | Kal | +0.481 | 256.5 |
| 8 | A Lopez | Bos | +0.692 | 259.6 |
| 9 | A Ogura | Bos | +1.201 | 264.7 |
| 10 | T Arbolino | Kal | +1.363 | 260.8 |
| 11 | C Vietti | Kal | +1.540 | 265.3 |
| 12 | M Ramirez | Kal | +1.600 | 260.8 |
| 13 | D Öncü | Kal | +1.758 | 263.4 |
| 14 | M Gonzalez | Kal | +1.936 | 260.8 |
| 15 | F Aldeguer | Bos | +2.057 | 260.8 |
| 16 | A Arenas | Kal | +2.070 | 260.8 |
| 17 | S Garcia | Bos | +3.127 | 260.2 |
| 18 | F Salac | Kal | +4.069 | 258.3 |
| Q1 | ||||
| 19 | D Foggia | Kal | (*) 0.424 | 262.7 |
| 20 | S Agius | Kal | (*) 0.436 | 260.2 |
| 21 | D Binder | Kal | (*) 0.447 | 261.5 |
| 22 | J Alcoba | Kal | (*) 0.524 | 260.2 |
| 23 | J Masia | Kal | (*) 0.534 | 261.5 |
| 24 | A Sasaki | Kal | (*) 0.686 | 262.1 |
| 25 | A Escrig | For | (*) 0.708 | 260.2 |
| 26 | M Aji | Kal | (*) 1.008 | 260.2 |
| 27 | X Artigas | For | (*) 1.160 | 261.5 |
| 28 | X Cardelus | Kal | (*) 1.444 | 263.4 |
| 29 | D Muñoz | Kal | ||
Moto2 Championship Standings
| Pos | Rider | Points |
| 1 | A Ogura | 208 |
| 2 | S Garcia | 166 |
| 3 | A Canet | 156 |
| 4 | A Lopez | 156 |
| 5 | J Roberts | 153 |
| 6 | F Aldeguer | 146 |
| 7 | J Dixon | 130 |
| 8 | C Vietti | 130 |
| 9 | M Gonzalez | 127 |
| 10 | T Arbolino | 121 |
| 11 | S Chantra | 78 |
| 12 | M Ramirez | 78 |
| 13 | A Arenas | 64 |
| 14 | J Alcoba | 60 |
| 15 | D Binder | 49 |
| 16 | S Agius | 47 |
| 17 | F Salac | 40 |
| 18 | I Guevara | 37 |
| 19 | D Öncü | 33 |
| 20 | B Baltus | 30 |
| 21 | D Moreira | 28 |
| 22 | Z Goorbergh | 20 |
| 23 | D Foggia | 18 |
| 24 | B Bendsneyder | 7 |
| 25 | J Navarro | 6 |
| 26 | A Sasaki | 4 |
| 27 | J Masia | 4 |
| 28 | M Aji | 3 |
| 29 | M Ferrari | 1 |
| 30 | X Cardelus | 0 |
| 31 | M Schrotter | 0 |
| 32 | M Pasini | 0 |
| 33 | A Escrig | 0 |
| 34 | D Muñoz | 0 |
| 35 | X Artigas | 0 |
| 36 | U Orradre | 0 |
Moto3
For the second weekend in a row, Ivan Ortola (MT Helmets – MSI) set a new lap record to take pole position – and what an effort it was. The #48’s 1:54.781 was the only sub-1:55 lap of a session that was completed (amazingly) with rain in the air, as Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) finished 0.356s down in P2. Meanwhile, on match point Sunday in Motegi, Championship leader David Alonso (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) will launch from P3 as the #80 aims to wrap up the title tomorrow.
It was another strong qualifying for rookie Angel Piqueras. The Leopard Racing star will start from P4 on Sunday morning and is joined on Row 2 by home hero Ryusei Yamanaka (MT Helmets – MSI) and Australia’s Joel Kelso (BOE Motorsports).
Daniel Holgado (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) is Alonso’s chief chaser in the 2024 title race, but the #96 has a little more work to do off the grid than he would have liked. It’s a P9 slot for the Spaniard, just behind compatriots Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing) and David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports).
Jacob Roulstone finished 23rd in the combined practices, meaning that he was on the Q1 entry list. In qualifying, Roulstone continued to struggle to find the confidence. As he chose to do only one run, his penultimate lap in 1’57.282 turned out to be his fastest, one that will see him start the Motul Grand Prix of Japan from P21 on Sunday.
Jacob Roulstone – P21
“We continue to be disappointed with ourselves. I am getting upset and annoyed with myself. We really need to find something, make progress instead of regressing, because I cannot keep doing that to myself, or the team, it does not look good. We need to work hard and stick together. Tomorrow’s race will be difficult, but I will give my best.”
Moto3 Qualifying Results
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Time/Gap | Speed |
| 1 | I Ortola | KTM | 1m54.761 | 224.5 |
| 2 | C Veijer | Hus | +0.356 | 221.3 |
| 3 | D Alonso | Cfm | +0.409 | 223.6 |
| 4 | A Piqueras | Hon | +0.724 | 221.3 |
| 5 | R Yamanaka | Ktm | +0.733 | 221.3 |
| 6 | J Kelso | Ktm | +0.918 | 224.0 |
| 7 | A Fernandez | Hon | +1.167 | 220.4 |
| 8 | D Muñoz | Ktm | +1.170 | 224.5 |
| 9 | D Holgado | Gas | +1.404 | 220.8 |
| 10 | D Almansa | Hon | +1.473 | 222.2 |
| 11 | S Nepa | Ktm | +1.570 | 222.2 |
| 12 | L Lunetta | Hon | +1.599 | 220.4 |
| 13 | T Furusato | Hon | +1.657 | 220.8 |
| 14 | J Rueda | Ktm | +1.659 | 221.3 |
| 15 | M Bertelle | Hon | +1.675 | 221.3 |
| 16 | R Rossi | Ktm | +2.023 | 219.5 |
| 17 | T Suzuki | Hus | +2.191 | 224.0 |
| 18 | F Farioli | Hon | +2.459 | 215.1 |
| 19 | J Esteban | Cfm | (*) 1.041 | 222.2 |
| 20 | S Ogden | Hon | (*) 1.120 | 222.2 |
| 21 | J Roulstone | Gas | (*) 1.266 | 221.7 |
| 22 | X Zurutuza | Ktm | (*) 1.279 | 222.2 |
| 23 | N Carraro | Ktm | (*) 1.330 | 224.0 |
| 24 | N Dettwiler | Ktm | (*) 1.745 | 222.2 |
| 25 | T Buasri | Hon | (*) 1.813 | 219.9 |
| 26 | R Wakamatsu | Hon | (*) 2.583 | 214.7 |
Moto3 Championship Standings
| Pos | Rider | Points |
| 1 | D Alonso | 296 |
| 2 | D Holgado | 199 |
| 3 | I Ortola | 191 |
| 4 | C Veijer | 189 |
| 5 | D Muñoz | 133 |
| 6 | A Piqueras | 131 |
| 7 | A Fernandez | 121 |
| 8 | A Rueda | 110 |
| 9 | J Kelso | 110 |
| 10 | R Yamanaka | 86 |
| 11 | T Furusato | 81 |
| 12 | L Lunetta | 78 |
| 13 | T Suzuki | 72 |
| 14 | S Nepa | 59 |
| 15 | J Roulstone | 50 |
| 16 | J Esteban | 44 |
| 17 | M Bertelle | 42 |
| 18 | R Rossi | 24 |
| 19 | F Farioli | 24 |
| 20 | N Carraro | 22 |
| 21 | S Ogden | 15 |
| 22 | X Zurutuza | 11 |
| 23 | D Almansa | 7 |
| 24 | V Perez | 3 |
| 25 | N Dettwiler | 2 |
| 26 | J Whatley | 0 |
| 27 | T Buasri | 0 |
| 28 | J Rosenthaler | 0 |
| 29 | D Shahril | 0 |
| 30 | H Al | 0 |
| 31 | A Aditama | 0 |
