Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP |News details:Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Show Grit in Challenging Japanese Sprint

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Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP's Fabio Quartararo brought home sixth place and four points at the Grand Prix of Japan Sprint in front of the Japanese fans, who passionately support him and the team as a whole. Álex Rins had to avoid rivals colliding in Turn 1 on the opening lap. The incident heavily affected the Yamaha rider's Sprint race, which he went on to finish in 18th position.

Mobility Resort Motegi (Japan), 27th September 2025

Racing in front of his and Yamaha's enthusiastic and supportive Japanese fans, Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP's Fabio Quartararo delivered a commendable performance in today's Grand Prix of Japan Sprint. He held off rivals all the way to the chequered flag to secure a positive sixth-place finish. Meanwhile, Álex Rins' unlucky start compromised his Sprint race. He was forced to take evasive action in Turn 1 due to a collision between other riders, losing valuable time. Despite the setback, he pushed through to take 18th place.

Quartararo started from P5 and, though he lost some places in the opening stages, completed the first lap in sixth. Unable to stay with the top 5, he focused on defending his position from charging rivals. Luca Marini fancied his chances, but the Frenchman held firm all the way to the finish line. He brought home sixth place and four points, taking the chequered flag 8.913s from first in front of his and the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team's passionate Japanese fans.

Rins began from P19 but was unlucky to get caught up in a Turn 1 incident on the opening lap involving the two Factory Aprilia riders. With riders and bikes sliding over the tarmac, the Spaniard had to take evasive action and swerved into the gravel trap. He skilfully got his bike stopped before the wall and made his way back to the track. However, by the time he rejoined the race, he was in 21st place and far behind the pack. The number-42 rider focused on gathering data for tomorrow's race and, with two rivals crashing out and another one retiring from the race, Rins completed the Sprint in 18th place, 43.428s from the leader.

After today's results, Quartararo is now in joint 8th place in the overall standings with 141 points, and Rins holds 19th position with 45 points. Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP are 6th in the team championship with 186 points, and Yamaha remain in 5th position in the constructor championship with 172 points.

On the Japanese GP Sunday, the teammates will start the track action with the Warm Up held from 09:40-09:50 (GMT+9), followed by the 24-lap Race starting at 14:00.

Massimo Meregalli

Team Director, Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP

"Fabio delivered a strong performance in qualifying this morning and showed some good defensive riding again this afternoon. Slotting into sixth early on, he defended that position well. He withstood Marini's pressure, and it earned him and our team four points. Álex was unlucky at the start. Though not personally involved in the Turn 1 incident, he was forced into the gravel to avoid the chaos. The gravel traps here are quite deep, so it requires skill and patience to bring the bike back onto the track safely. It ended his chances to fight with rivals today, but we have another opportunity tomorrow. We'll use today's data to maximize our potential for the main race."

Fabio Quartararo

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Rider

"I couldn't attack the front group, so I had to defend my position instead. I pushed to the maximum, and I did some 1'44s at the beginning, which is quite fast for us. But today our pace was not enough to fight with the top guys. Tomorrow's longer race will also be a challenge, but I know how hard I can brake here. Luca had more pace than me today, but I had to defend my position, and I was quite good."

Álex Rins

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Rider

"After almost colliding with the bike of Martin or Bezzecchi and nearly crashing in the first corner, I went straight. I saw that bike from up close, and I was very lucky. In this type of crash you can get hurt easily. After that, losing 30 seconds on the first lap, I was riding by myself. We changed the set-up a bit today, and though I was not feeling super good on the bike, my pace was not bad: there were some 1'44s and some 1'45s. We need to analyse the data well. For tomorrow, we will go back to the previous setting and see how it compares. I'm looking forward to a do-over."