At the Japanese Grand Prix in Motegi, Marco Bezzecchi demonstrated remarkable resilience during Friday’s sessions as he topped the leaderboard in the afternoon practice after suffering two crashes earlier in the day. The Italian rider’s speed and determination allowed him to post the fastest lap time in the Motegi practice despite the challenges faced on the first day. This strong showing underlines the significance of Marco Bezzecchi Motegi practice, positioning him as a key contender as the weekend progresses.
Early Crashes Disrupt Morning Session
Bezzecchi’s day began with a tough start when he crashed at Turn 11 within minutes of the initial practice session (FP1), causing significant damage to his primary Aprilia RS-GP bike. Attempting to recover quickly, he switched to his second bike but soon after fell again. These incidents forced him to miss the remaining 18 minutes of FP1. As a result, he found himself 11th on the timing sheets and over half a second slower than the session leader, Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia.
Reflecting on the crashes, Bezzecchi acknowledged the misjudgments that led to the falls.
“The confidence was good and maybe this is why I pushed a bit too much in the beginning, especially because the first crash was a mistake that I could have avoided,”
he said.
“I was coming super fast already and I braked strongly. I was maybe a bit wide but I wanted to put the bike in anyway. The soft front is normally a good tyre to start, but on a track like this with so many hard braking points, it’s not the best. So it was a mistake by me.”
He added,
“The second crash was a very, very small mistake, but we are so on the limit every time we jump on the bike. Small differences make a difference. It was a couple of mistakes that were better to avoid.”
Afternoon Session Sees Bezzecchi Lead the Timesheets
Despite the setbacks, Aprilia’s pace at Motegi was evident early on, with Jorge Martin securing second place in FP1. Bezzecchi capitalized on this momentum during the final session, setting the fastest lap time with a 1m43.193s, narrowly beating KTM’s Pedro Acosta by 0.136 seconds. This effort placed him among only two Aprilia riders who qualified directly for Q2, alongside Raul Fernandez, who finished ninth for the satellite Trackhouse KTM team.
Bezzecchi described his mindset, explaining,
“The confidence was there, which is why I was pushing so hard. I felt good since the first time I jumped on the bike. I knew it could be positive in the end.”
He continued,
“Then in the afternoon, we started with a bit more calm, but the sensations were good again.”
Bezzecchi also praised his team’s dedication following the crashes.
“I want to say thanks especially to my guys, because they had to work a lot today to repair my bike. The first one was very destroyed, and they couldn’t even eat lunch, so big shoutout to my team and to the Aprilia guys.”
Competitors and Track Dynamics Affect Practice Outcomes
Friday’s practice sessions revealed an unusual dip in performance from Ducati’s factory riders. Both Francesco Bagnaia and Marc Marquez spent much of the session outside the top ten but eventually qualified for Q2 in third and seventh places, respectively. Alex Marquez, riding for the Gresini team, could only manage 15th on the final timesheet.
With Ducati’s diminished pace, Aprilia and KTM took advantage to lead the charts, while Honda and Yamaha riders also appeared within the top ten during the Friday sessions.
Bezzecchi, however, cautioned against reading too much into Ducati’s Friday performance, anticipating a significant improvement.
“From Friday to Saturday, our opponents, especially Ducati, make a big, big step normally,”
he noted.
“We started well, the bike feels good, I feel good with the bike, we have to stay concentrated and try to continue in this way, to put this effort again tomorrow. I expect a more normal result tomorrow, even though I hope there can be a possibility for us to have a good Saturday.”
Implications for the Japanese Grand Prix Weekend
Marco Bezzecchi’s ability to recover from early crashes and still secure the fastest lap time reflects both his skill and Aprilia’s growing competitiveness at Motegi. His performance on Friday signals the potential for Aprilia to challenge the traditionally dominant Ducati, especially if they maintain consistent bike performance and rider confidence. Meanwhile, other top manufacturers like KTM, Honda, and Yamaha remain in contention, setting up an intense qualifying battle and race ahead.
With Ducati expected to regain pace, the Japanese Grand Prix weekend promises to be fiercely contested, requiring Bezzecchi and his team to maintain focus and capitalize on their strong Friday showing in the final stages of qualifying and race day.
