Álex Márquez produced a wonderfully precise piece of MotoGP history on October 2, 2026. During Friday Practice for the Japanese Grand Prix at Mobility Resort Motegi, the Gresini rider stopped the clock at 1:42.811—a new all-time circuit record for the premier class.
The especially satisfying detail is the margin. Francesco Bagnaia’s previous benchmark, set in 2025, was 1:42.911. Márquez therefore lowered it by exactly 0.100 seconds. According to the Motorsport Week session report, he delivered the record late in the hour, after the circuit had improved from the mixed conditions seen earlier in the day.
Three riders, one tenth
Márquez did not simply beat an old number; he headed an extraordinarily compact top three. Pedro Acosta finished second, just 0.076 seconds behind, while Marc Márquez was third at exactly 0.100. In other words, the gap from first to third was identical to the amount by which Álex erased the previous lap record.
The Motorsport.com classification and report also recorded an average speed of 168.110 km/h for the lap. That is a reminder of what a tenth means at this level: at that pace, the decisive difference is only a few metres spread across an entire 4.8-kilometre lap.
Friday Practice carries real competitive weight because its top ten riders earn direct passage to the second qualifying session. Márquez, Acosta and Marc Márquez were joined in that group by Marco Bezzecchi, Fabio Quartararo, Luca Marini, Joan Mir, Jack Miller, Francesco Bagnaia and Brad Binder.
A record, not yet a trophy
The day was not completely straightforward. Earlier rain had complicated the opening running, and Practice was briefly stopped after a technical problem for Ai Ogura raised concern about fluid on the track. Once the session resumed and grip improved, the final time attacks reshuffled the order.
Gresini’s official team report said Márquez had spent much of the session working with the medium rear tyre before producing the benchmark on the soft. The team also emphasized that the result secured his direct Q2 place—valuable progress, but not the same thing as pole position or a race win.
That distinction is worth keeping. Lap records set in Practice can disappear as quickly as they arrive once qualifying begins. Still, for one Friday at Motegi, Álex Márquez owned the fastest MotoGP lap the circuit had ever seen—and he took it by the neatest possible margin.
Sources
- Gresini Racing: Álex into Q2 with Motegi track record
- Motorsport.com: Japanese GP Practice report and classification
- Motorsport Week: Márquez breaks Motegi lap record
- MotoGP official results and statistics
