Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP

Quartararo Delivers Top-7 Result on Japanese GP Friday

The Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team had a productive opening day at the Grand Prix of Japan with Fabio Quartararo securing seventh place and a direct passage into Q2. Álex Rins finished in P20 on the newly resurfaced Motegi circuit despite an early fall in the Practice session. He will take part in tomorrow's Q1.

GRAND PRIX OF JAPAN

PRACTICE

Mobility Resort Motegi (Japan), 2nd October 2026

7th

F. Quartararo
1'43.230 / 25 LAPS

20th

Á. Rins
1'44.304 / 22 LAPS

The Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team returned to action at Mobility Resort Motegi for the opening day of the Grand Prix of Japan. Fabio Quartararo and Álex Rins faced a newly resurfaced circuit and wrapped up Practice in P7 and P20 respectively.

Quartararo quickly found good pace and finished the morning session in sixth place. The Frenchman continued to feature inside the top 10 during the afternoon Practice and made sure to defend his position when it mattered most. Despite several yellow flags in the closing minutes, he managed to put together a final fast lap of 1'43.230s on lap 24/25 to secure seventh place, 0.419s from the top, and a direct place in tomorrow's Q2.

Rins ended FP1 in 21st position and suffered an early crash in Turn 3 during the afternoon session. The Spaniard quickly returned to the pits, and a red flag provided time for him to get ready for the remainder of the session. Rins improved during the final stages with a 1'44.304s lap on lap 21/22, finishing 20th and 1.493s from first. He will take part in tomorrow's Q1.

The Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team will be back in action tomorrow for the Saturday MotoGP sessions. FP2 will be held from 10:10-10:40 (GMT+9), followed by qualifying from 10:50-11:30. The 12-lap Sprint is scheduled to start at 15:00.

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FABIO QUARTARARO
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Rider

"The main goal for today was to do an amazing lap. We know that in the race things will be different, but we did what we wanted to do, and today also the pace was actually quite good. This lap was great – I made some mistakes, but I think we still managed to get the best we could do today. The new asphalt has more grip, so that definitely helped. I'm looking to enjoy riding and give my maximum on the bike, and this will be the target for now and for the rest of the year."

ÁLEX RINS
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Rider

"My feeling was not good today. I couldn't push like I wanted to here. In Austria, which is a similar track with hard braking, I was feeling better, and I was closer than here. We changed the bike quite a bit, but so far I can't find the feeling I'm looking for."

Best shots

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PRACTICE RESULTS

02/10/2026

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