P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia was able to tackle the difficult conditions to take the final MotoGP practice session at Motegi.
Despite the absence of rain during the session, overnight rain created challenging track conditions that made it hard to determine the fastest times. Nonetheless, Bagnaia appeared to carry the momentum into qualifying. The session began under uncertain weather forecasts, yet all riders ventured onto the track to find their footing before the qualifying round. Following Brad Binder’s impressive performance in Friday practice, his KTM teammate Jack Miller quickly established the lead in his preferred conditions, edging out Joan Mir and Bagnaia. As the session progressed, Bagnaia reclaimed the lead with a time of 1:44.887, trailed by Jorge Martin and Marc Marquez in a Ducati-dominated top three. A late surge from Acosta and Vinales briefly disrupted the Ducati stronghold, yet Bagnaia’s time remained unchallenged at the top. Other notable finishes included Fabio Di Giannantionio in fifth, Binder in sixth, and Bezzecchi in seventh. Martin, Marquez, and Bastianini completed the top ten standings, with Morbidelli finishing 10th. The session saw Miller in 11th place, with Fernandez and Mir rounding out the top 13. Struggles continued for Aleix Espargaro, finishing in 14th, while Marquez and Zarco completed the top 16 after a late crash. Quartararo led the struggling Yamaha lineup in 17th, followed by Marini, Nakagami, and Rins in the remaining positions of the top 20. Trackhouse’s Fernandez and Savadori struggled, finishing in 21st and 22nd, respectively, ahead of Yamaha wildcard Gardner, who closed the standings.
