- Acosta shows his remarkable ability once more as he throttles to Pole and then leads the Sprint after a challenging day in Japan with changeable conditions
- P15 from Augusto Fernandez who starts from the sixth row of the grid
- Daniel Holgado strives to make the difference in Moto3™ and ends Q2 with 9th in the Saturday classification. Jacob Roulstone closed the day with 21st.
From the melting heat of Mandalika in Indonesia last week to the moody skies of Motegi: MotoGP enjoyed more diversity in the calendar for the third and final part of the triple header. The championship negotiated the rainy and unpredictable climes of Motegi and the regular site of the Japanese GP since the final year of the century.
4.8km long and with a focus on hard braking and full gas out of the 14 corners, Motegi was also extra tricky for the weather. It was grey but dry on Friday and Pedro Acosta went directly through to Q2 once more. Saturday brought bouts of light rain and created different demands. Acosta was able to ride with precision to break the lap record in quali and seal his maiden Pole Position and the first for the RC16 since 2020. Fernandez banked 18th spot after ranking 8th in Q1 but was less than half a second away from Q2.
The Sprint cut the mist for 12 laps in the afternoon and Acosta passed world champion Francesco Bagnaia to set the pace at the head of the MotoGP pack. Pedro was on the verge of breaking free from his pursuers when he lost front traction into Turn 7 with four laps to go. Fernandez rode a lone race to the top fifteen.
MotoGP will thrill Japanese fans again at 14.00 local time but viewers in Europe will have to roll out of bed at 07.00 CET.
Pedro Acosta, 1st in qualifying, DNF in the Sprint: “It was super close and for this it is difficult to accept. It was my mistake in the Sprint and I just need to put my head down and be focused for tomorrow. We have been really competitive all weekend and have been very strong from the first moments. We are getting close. In one way we have to be happy to be leading and making those laps.”
Augusto Fernandez, 18th in qualifying, 15th in the Sprint: “The morning was not too bad but with the used tires I again had this ‘jumping’ issue and it happens to me in the race when the tire drops. It was very hard to ride. I also had some locking with the medium front. Let’s see if we can try something different tomorrow to avoid this and have a good race.”
Nicolas Goyon, GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 Team Manager: “An unbelievable day for us. We knew we could do well at this track and the bike is working well. It was a strong first Pole Position in Pedro’s rookie year and we knew we had podium possibilities in the Sprint. He rode at a great pace and led most of the race. It was a shame he lost the front but this is still promising for the race tomorrow and another chance to shine. A bit tricky again for Augusto with a vibration issue limiting his performance and we are all working to find a solution.”
Results Qualifying MotoGP Japanese Grand Prix
1. Pedro Acosta (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 1:43.018
2. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA) Ducati +0.246
3. Maverick Viñales (ESP) Aprilia +0.423
5. Brad Binder (RSA) KTM +0.643
14. Jack Miller (AUS) KTM 1:44.193 (Q1)
18. Augusto Fernandez (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 1:44.547 (Q1)
Results MotoGP Sprint Japanese Grand Prix
1. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA) Ducati 21:01.074
2. Enea Bastianini (ITA) Ducati +0.181
3. Marc Marquez (ESP) Ducati +0.349
8. Jack Miller (AUS) KTM +11.875
15. Augusto Fernandez (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +20.522
DNF. Pedro Acosta (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3
DNF. Brad Binder (RSA) KTM
Moto3
The intense and committed Moto3 pack tried to make the most of the conditions at Motegi on Saturday morning and then through the early afternoon Q1 and Q2 sessions. Jacob Roulstone was one of the entrants in Q1 who tried to find his pace and found a lap sufficient to give the Australian P21 on the grid. Daniel Holgado was further up the order and counted on a strategy for Q2 only. The Spaniard tested the limits of adhesion through the looping Japanese curves and ended the chrono 1.4 seconds from P1 for 9th and the third row where he again expects to be inside the leading group for the 17-lap spectacle on Sunday am.
Japanese Grand Prix MotoGP photographs can be found HERE
Results Qualifying Moto3 Japanese Grand Prix
1. Ivan Ortola (ESP), KTM 1:54.761
2. Collin Veijer (NED) Husqvarna +0.356
3. David Alonso (COL) CFMOTO +0.409
9. Daniel Holgado (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +1.404
14. Jose Antonio Rueda (ESP), KTM +1.659
17. Tatsuki Suzuki (JPN) Husqvarna +2.191
19. Joel Esteban (ESP) CFMOTO +1:57.057 (Q1)
21. Jacob Roulstone (AUS) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 1:57.282 (Q1)
22. Xabi Zurutuza (ESP) KTM 1:57.295 (Q1)
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