Diogo Moreira’s Japanese Grand Prix ended in disappointment after the Pro Honda LCR rider crashed out of Sunday’s race, but the Brazilian leaves Motegi with plenty of positives after producing his strongest weekend of the MotoGP season so far.
Moreira made an encouraging start to the weekend on Friday, finishing ninth and securing a direct place in Q2. From his first run of the morning, the rookie showed confidence on the bike and continued to improve as he became more comfortable with the circuit.
“I felt comfortable on the bike today, and the feeling improved lap by lap. We had good pace and were able to push during the time attack to secure a direct Q2 spot, which was important,” Moreira said.
He carried that momentum into the afternoon, delivering a strong time attack to confirm his place directly in Q2 and set the stage for a promising weekend.
Saturday then brought the biggest highlight of Moreira’s MotoGP career so far.
The Brazilian produced a determined ride in the Sprint, eventually crossing the finish line in fourth after fighting his way towards the podium in the closing stages. Moreira defended his position throughout the race while gradually recovering tenths on the riders ahead.
However, two riders in front were later penalised for exceeding track limits, promoting Moreira to second and handing him his first MotoGP podium.
“I know it’s not ‘a real result’. Today I was lucky, but anyway, I’m super happy! A podium in MotoGP feels amazing,” Moreira said.
Moreira was also encouraged by his pace throughout the Sprint and felt he had more to give in the closing stages.
“I felt really good on the bike today, and I gave it everything, following the flow of the track. On the last lap, I was there; with one more lap, I could have taken it.”
With his first MotoGP podium secured, Moreira headed into Sunday’s Grand Prix with confidence and the opportunity to build on an impressive two days.
Unfortunately, his race came to an early end on lap eight when he lost the front at Turn 9 and crashed. Moreira was unhurt, but the incident ended his hopes of another strong result at Motegi.
“I didn’t expect the crash. I was feeling good and trying to manage everything, as we could have been fighting for a top-eight finish, but then I lost the front and crashed,” he said.
Despite the setback, Moreira remained positive about the weekend as a whole, with his first MotoGP podium marking a major milestone in his rookie season.
“This is part of racing, and in any case, we’ve had a very positive weekend. Now it’s time to head to Mandalika, a circuit that I really like. Let’s see!”
While Sunday did not deliver the finish Moreira had hoped for, his performance across the three days at Motegi provided plenty of encouragement for both the rider and Pro Honda LCR. From a direct Q2 berth on Friday to his maiden MotoGP podium on Saturday, Moreira showed the pace and confidence to fight near the front.
Now, he will look to carry that momentum into next weekend’s Indonesian Grand Prix at Mandalika.
