Yamaha's factory squad—Jack Miller, Andrea Locatelli and Katsuyuki Nakasuga—finished fifth overall in Friday's Suzuka 8 Hours qualifying, trailing defending champion Honda by about 0.46 seconds. The Honda line‑up of Jonathan Rea, Somkiat Chantra and Takumi Takahashi set the pace, while Yamaha's best lap came from Locatelli at 2:04.971, followed by Miller's 2:05.422 and Nakasuga's 2:05.984.
Miller, the sole full‑time MotoGP rider in the field, said the session did not meet his expectations. He noted a good feeling during free practice on used tyres but felt the track surface had changed since last year, disrupting their base setup. Both Locatelli and Nakasuga echoed the sentiment, pointing to the resurfaced circuit as a factor that limited their confidence. Despite the qualifying setback, the trio remains optimistic, focusing on extracting speed during night practice and the race itself.
Night practice ended on a brighter note, with Miller topping the Yellow group, Locatelli leading the Red group, and Nakasuga eighth in the Blue group. Organisers warned that rain, which disrupted earlier free practice, could still affect the weekend, adding another variable for Yamaha to manage on race day.
