Five MotoGP riders that shocked us during qualifying at Motegi

On a day that saw Marc Marquez secure his first MotoGP pole position in three years at Motegi and championship contenders struggle, five riders shocked us with their performance, but who are they?

Robert Jones

24 Sep 2022

Ducati’s incredible run of six consecutive MotoGP pole positions was finally ended at Motegi as Marquez mastered the rain conditions.

Of course, Ducati didn’t go down without a fight as Johann Zarco managed to qualify second after coming through Q1, however, Q2 at Motegi was far from what was expected from the Italian manufacturer’s title contenders.

So with that said, who are the five riders that shocked us?

Marc Marquez - 1st

There is no place to start other than Marquez as the Repsol Honda rider was sensational throughout Saturday.

After topping FP2 in the wet, Marquez continued his impressive form by leading the majority of Q2.

At home in these types of conditions, Marquez being on pole is of no great surprise, however, the level of performance and consistency he’s shown in both wet and dry conditions this weekend has been brilliant.

While Marquez’s time came under intense pressure from Zarco and Brad Binder on multiple occasions, the Spaniard’s effort of 1:55.214s held strong due to a very strong third and fourth sector.

Brad Binder - 3rd

On the front row for the first time in his MotoGP career, Binder delivered another superb performance in very tricky conditions.

Beginning to rival the likes of Marquez and Jack Miller for the title as ‘best wet-weather rider’ - that’s if he’s not already - the KTM rider managed to bump Maverick Vinales off the front row thanks to his final effort.

Brad Binder, MotoGP, Japanese MotoGP, 23 September

So often a Sunday man, Binder has positioned himself perfectly for a podium challenge if not a victory at Motegi.

While team-mate Miguel Oliveira crashed trying to secure pole, Binder made the most of his opportunity.

Three MotoGP riders that suffered surprisingly poor qualifying sessions

Fabio Quartararo - 9th

Although Quartararo is not the best rider in wet conditions, the reigning world champion has made impressive steps in such conditions in 2022.

However, qualifying at Motegi was far from what was expected as Quartararo could only manage ninth, while also being over 1.1 seconds off Marquez.

Quartararo, who has shown very good pace in dry conditions, was also more than half a second off title rival Aleix Espargaro who will line-up three places ahead of the Yamaha rider.

One consolation for the Frenchman is that he’s ahead of Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia.

Francesco Bagnaia - 12th

By far his worst performance since earlier in the season, Bagnaia was off the pace from the outset of Q2.

Often great and pulling out a lap when he needs to, Bagnaia had no answer for the riders around him as he finished 2.2 seconds off pole.

While all is not lost from 12th on the grid, Bagnaia is going to have to be very aggressive in Sunday’s race if he’s to have any chance of fighting for a podium or better.

Bagnaia, who showed frustration by shaking his head early on in the session, then slammed his fist against the tank of his bike following the checkered flag.

Enea Bastianini - 15th

Enea Bastianini, MotoGP, Japanese MotoGP, 24 September

In the form of his life at winning a brilliant last lap battle against Bagnaia in Aragon, qualifying at Motegi was one to forget for Bastianini as he failed to advance.

Although it took the Italian nearly the entire session to find the pace needed to challenge for a top two spot, the Gresini rider was then caught out for the second time this weekend at turn five.

After crashing late on in FP1, Bastianini did the same at the end of Q1 as he again lost the front-end of his GP21 machine.