Marquez takes first pole since 2019 in wet Motegi qualifying

MotoGP returnee Marc Marquez took pole position for just the second race of his comeback, having prevailed in a wet qualifying at Motegi.

It marked Honda rider Marquez’s first pole since 2019 at the very same circuit – the previous time the Japanese GP was held before COVID restrictions ruled it out of the 2020 and 2021 calendars.

Heavy rain was widely anticipated for Saturday, and while the morning practice went off without a hitch, the weather then forced a significant delay for qualifying.

But though at one point the idea of getting qualifying in at all seemed fanciful, rain ultimately eased off enough to fit both MotoGP qualifying segments in with around three quarters of an hour left to spare until sunset.

Marquez was the pace-setter for much of Q2 and his 1m55.214s towards the end proved unassailable, with Pramac Ducati’s Johann Zarco – having dominated Q1 – getting closest at two tenths off the pace.

👑 @marcmarquez93 is back in full effect!

Absolute masterclass for the 8-time World Champion as he takes his first pole since the 2019 Japanese GP 👏#JapaneseGP 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/PDfPKRnuc2

— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) September 24, 2022

KTM rider Brad Binder secured his first-ever MotoGP front row start in third at the chequered flag, moving Aprilia’s Maverick Vinales down to fourth.

Vinales’ title-contending team-mate Aleix Espargaro placed sixth, the pair split by Jorge Martin – who, like Pramac team-mate Zarco, had made it through Q1.

Ducati’s Jack Miller would’ve been on pole thanks to his Friday practice pace had qualifying been rained out, but instead qualified only seventh, one spot ahead of KTM’s Miguel Oliveira – who looked a pole contender until he fell with three minutes left on the clock.

Championship leader Fabio Quartararo had to settle for ninth, ahead of VR46’s Luca Marini and Honda’s Pol Espargaro.

A 15th place in Saturday morning practice foreshadowed a difficult qualifying for form man Francesco Bagnaia and so it proved to be, the Ducati rider struggling to run competitive pace all throughout Q2 and eventually finishing last after a bike swap – just 0.019s behind Espargaro but over a second behind 10th-placed Marini.

Marini’s VR46 team-mate Marco Bezzecchi came closest to disrupting the Pramac 1-2 in Q1, ending up six tenths slower than Zarco and 0.139s off Martin.

He will be shadowed on the grid by Yamaha’s Franco Morbidelli, who led the first segment initially but was ultimately consigned to his 13th Q1 exit of the campaign.

Gresini Ducati rider Enea Bastianini, winner of four races this season, fell on a lap that was already ruined late in Q1, his crash coming at the same corner, the right-handed Turn 5, that had caught him out on Friday.

His first weekend on a #MotoGP bike at Motegi isn't going as planned ❌@Bestia23 won't make it to Q2 after a crash and he is LIVID! 😠#JapaneseGP 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/8UjtlNRiXN

— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) September 24, 2022

But he at least fell no further than fifth in the session, having triggered yellow flags that helped him book a spot on an all-Italian fifth row – with Tech3 KTM rookie Raul Fernandez falling a minute later and likewise appearing to disrupt some laps beyond his own.

The two Japanese wildcard riders, Honda’s Tetsuta Nagashima and Suzuki’s Takuya Tsuda, both managed to avoid the final two rows – Nagashima qualifying 19th for his MotoGP debut and Tsuda placing 21st.

The #MotoGP riders will need to be extra careful due to standing water on the track ⚠️

Down goes home hero @takanakagami30 at Turn 14 💥#JapaneseGP 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/k2mPcclwOr

— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) September 24, 2022

Their compatriot Takaaki Nakagami, nursing a pair of injured fingers on his right hand after his Aragon collision with Marquez, slid off early in Q1 and ended up qualifying last, one place ahead of RNF Yamaha rookie Darryn Binder, who had a Q1 crash of his own.

Qualifying Results