Motegi (Japan), Sep 27 (NationPress) The recent challenges faced in Barcelona and Misano are now just fading memories for Francesco Bagnaia, who has reclaimed his form as the two-time MotoGP World Champion. He skillfully secured pole position at the Grand Prix of Japan held at the Twin Ring Motegi race track, marking a significant turnaround in his performance this weekend.

Joan Mir from Honda HRC Castrol delivered a remarkable performance, coming close to snatching the pole from the #63 rider of the Ducati Lenovo Team, ultimately finishing in second place. This achievement ties his best qualifying result ever in MotoGP. Completing the front row is Marc Marquez from the Ducati Lenovo Team, who is poised to chase championship points this Sunday.

Late drama

Q1 featured a lineup of prominent riders including Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP), Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team), local hero Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team), and reigning World Champion Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing), all vying for a spot in Q2. With five minutes remaining, Ogura and Morbidelli were the two riders on course to advance, with Alex Marquez positioned in third.

During Q2, Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) suffered a crash at Turn 5, impacting his chances while teammate Alex Marquez managed to secure a top-two spot. Morbidelli climbed to P1 but was soon challenged by Ogura before Alex Marquez clinched P2. Unfortunately, incidents involving Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) at Turn 12 and Alex Rins (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) at Turn 10 disrupted Ogura and Martin's Q2 efforts, placing them at 13th and 17th, respectively, while Morbidelli and Alex Marquez proceeded to the pole shootout.

Pecco the favourite, Acosta with problems

As Q2 commenced, an immediate setback struck Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), who had to return to the pits due to a technical malfunction post out-lap. As the first runs concluded, competitors chased after Pecco, who had been the fastest on Friday, leading teammate Marquez and Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP). With the final run approaching, surprises were still on the horizon.

In the last moments of track action, a flurry of rapid sectors and impressive lap times unfolded. Morbidelli initially secured provisional pole, only for Marquez to take it away, but the standout was Mir, who surged to P1. However, just before the clock ran out, Bagnaia completed his flying lap, reclaiming the top position.

Pecco perfect after Mir’s mighty challenge

As the checkered flag fell, it marked Bagnaia's first pole since Brno and his second of the 2025 season, ahead of Mir, who matched his career-best qualifying position of P2 and achieved his top spot with Honda. This is the factory team's first front row since 2023, equaling Honda's best this year, which was P2 in Germany with Johann Zarco (Honda LCR). Marquez's title aspirations remain viable, finishing P3 just 0.132 seconds behind his pole-sitting teammate.

Morbidelli rounded out the second row, consistently competitive in the pole battle, trailing Bagnaia by just 0.259 seconds, while Luca Marini (Honda HRC Castrol) ensured two Hondas were in the top seven. Alex Marquez concluded the session in P8, indicating a challenging weekend ahead to prevent his brother's title celebrations. Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) took ninth ahead of Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse MotoGP Team), Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR), and Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team).