Pedro Acosta will start from pole position for the MotoGP Japanese GP. This is the rookie’s first pole in the premier class, after Marc Márquez lost what would have been a new Motegi lap record due to a track limits violation in the closing moments.
Q2 in Motegi started with light rain and the rain flag displayed. With the risk of worsening conditions, it was crucial for riders to set a good lap early on.
Marc Márquez (Gresini/Ducati) initially led, 0.127s ahead of Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac/Ducati), with Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM) in third.
Márquez held onto the lead, but Acosta (Red Bull GasGas Tech3/KTM) moved up to second, with Jorge Martín (Prima Pramac/Ducati) in third. However, things changed dramatically in the following laps.
Acosta took over the top spot, with Enea Bastianini (Ducati) moving to second, Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46/Ducati) to third, and Márquez slipping to fourth as conditions appeared to improve.
After a tough start, in the final four minutes, Franco Bagnaia (Ducati) surged into the top positions: first taking second, and then moving into the lead. But shortly after, Márquez stunned with a new lap record of 1m42.868s despite the challenging conditions.
With less than two minutes remaining, Martín crashed while in ninth place, complicating his chances in the races. Meanwhile, Acosta moved up to second. But there was still one more dramatic twist to come.
Just when it seemed that Marc Márquez would secure pole position, his record lap was deleted due to a track limits violation, handing pole position to Acosta for the first time in his career. Bagnaia ended up second, 0.246s behind, with Maverick Viñales (Aprilia) in third, 0.423s off the pace. Márquez will start from ninth, and Martín from 11th.
