The 2026 MotoGP Japanese Grand Prix will take place at Motegi from 2 to 4 October. MotoGP has published the weekend schedule in local time. Japan is one hour ahead of China Standard Time (UTC+8). After conversion, Saturday qualifying begins at 9:50 and the Sprint at 14:00, while Sunday’s Grand Prix starts at 13:00.
This table lists only the principal on-track sessions for the MotoGP premier class. All dates and times are in China Standard Time (UTC+8):
| Date | Session | China Standard Time (UTC+8) |
|---|---|---|
| Friday, 2 October | Free Practice 1 | 09:45 |
| Friday, 2 October | Practice | 14:00 |
| Saturday, 3 October | Free Practice 2 | 09:10 |
| Saturday, 3 October | Qualifying | 09:50 |
| Saturday, 3 October | Sprint (12 laps) | 14:00 |
| Sunday, 4 October | Warm Up | 08:40 |
| Sunday, 4 October | Grand Prix | 13:00 |
Friday afternoon’s Practice determines whether riders advance directly to Q2. Saturday morning’s qualifying sets the grid, followed by the 12-lap Sprint in the afternoon. These are the planned times as officially published; any subsequent MotoGP notification takes precedence if the event schedule changes.
