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World champion Marc Marquez kicked off the Japanese MotoGP Grand Prix weekend in the best possible fashion, setting the pace in the opening free practice session at Motegi.
The opening 45-minute session in the Land of the Rising Sun began under light drizzle across parts of the circuit. As a result, most riders chose to stay in their garages for the first 15 minutes, leaving only Toprak Razgatlioglu, Jack Miller, and Somkiat Chantra—who is substituting for Joan Mir in the factory Honda squad this weekend—out on track.
Conditions steadily improved as the track dried, prompting a flurry of activity with virtually the entire field circulating in the final half-hour. The fastest times predictably tumbled in the closing minutes, with Marquez emerging as the man to beat.
The Spaniard topped the timesheets with a 1:44.073 lap, edging out Jorge Martin by 0.099 seconds, while Marco Bezzecchi rounded out the top three, 0.133 seconds off the pace. Alex Marquez and Johann Zarco secured fourth and fifth, trailing the leader by 0.261s and 0.339s respectively. Rounding out the top 10 were Fabio Quartararo, Raul Fernandez, two-time defending Japanese GP winner Francesco Bagnaia, Fabio Di Giannantonio, and Pedro Acosta.
FP1 saw just a single incident, courtesy of Honda wildcard and test rider Takaaki Nakagami. The home favourite suffered a violent highside at Turn 11 on his very first flying lap of the day, clutching his left arm as he got back to his feet before heading to the medical centre for checks.
Action at the Japanese Grand Prix, round 16 of the 2026 MotoGP campaign, continues with the crucial 60-minute Practice session at Motegi, which will determine the top 10 riders earning direct passage into Saturday's Q2 shootout.
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