World championship leader Martin’s afternoon got off to a nightmare 𝕴start when he crashed while trying to avoid hitting the back of Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo at the Turn 4 hairpin.

Martin returned to the Pramac pits, while Miller fell 🧸on wet grass after running wide at the same corner - named after him. Reigning champion Bagnaia had less obvious issues but was also without an early lap time.

Meanwhile, riding on a dry track but with dark clꦏouds looming, Marquez swiftly rocketed 1.7s clear of the field.

The Gresini ri꧒der kept improving and was 0.2s ahead of Fabio di Giannantonio when red flags were waved due to a large goose on tr🐼ack.

It was t🍸he last thing the likes of Bagnaia and Martin needed since👍 - if rain began falling - they would be condemned to a place in Qualifying 1.

Miller and Martin bolted straight out of pit lane when the session restarted, with Bagnaia not far beh☂ind. All on the soft rear for 𝓡a time attack.

Martin responded in style, slotting into second behind Marquez on only his second flying lap. Local star ꦺMiller also climbed swiftly through the top ten, with Bagnaia moving 🍬into ninth after 25mins.

Motegi pole qualifier Pedro Acosta made a l♏eg-off save but later fell on wet grass at the end of the session. Moments later cameras panned to Miller walking away from a much faster accident that would cost him direct𒐪 Q2 access.

Fabio Quartararo had made his frustration clear to the Monster Yamah𒅌a team after the rear tyre of his M1 was seen bouncing into the air with extreme chatter at the Turn 4 hairpin.

The vibration looked at least as big as the chatter su✤ffered by Miller at Motegi, although this time it might not have been triggered by the tyre, with the new asphalt said to have some wave-type undulations. Update: Quartararo had a clutch prob𓆉lem.

Quartararo rebounded in style to break into the top ten, just behind team-mate Alex Rins, only to be pushed out at the very ꦦend. Rins, crestfallen after a nightmare Motegi, held on to the final direct Q2 place.

Last year’s Pramac Ducati🦩 winner Johann Zarco was impressive for much of practice but will also head for 🍃Qualifying 1.

Wild-card Lorenzo Savadori fell from his Trackhouse Aprilia at th⛎e fearsome turn 1, Doohan corner, in the closing minutes. Savadori walked away, but the resulting yellow flags paused the fast♊ laps.

Raul Fernandez only completed 11🍰 laps du🎉e to sickness.

Saturday morning's FP3 will be 40 rather than 30 minutes, due🐽 to the cancellation of ෴FP1.