Bagnaia drops back into Q1 despite his perfect Motegi history

Francesco Bagnaia had already warned that a top seven would be a realistic target at Motegi. Friday confirms that caution: only 16th in Practice, he must go through Q1.

The contrast with 2025 is brutal. A year ago, Bagnaia took pole and won both the Sprint and Grand Prix. The new asphalt and harder rear tyres have changed the references, but the factory Ducati still cannot recover the expected level with him.

Q1 therefore becomes the first critical point of Saturday. Failure there would force him to start very deep on a circuit where braking management and tyre wear will already be demanding.