With victory in Saturday’s Sprint race at Motegi, Marc Marquez had cut Martin’s lead in the championship to seven points going into Sunday. Delivering the same result on race day meant that margin was now down to just two points. The victory marked Marquez’s fourth win at Motegi and his 79th MotoGP victory overall, on the same circuit where he clinched his title a year ago.
- Marquez wins the Japanese GP ahead of Martin
- Martin now leads the championship ahead of Marquez by just 2 points
- Bezzecchi holds off Bastianini in a tense final lap
Martin leads early
Martin took the holeshot from pole and controlled the opening laps with Marquez in close attendance. By the middle stages of the race, the pair had pulled clear of Bezzecchi in third, with the rest of the field settled into their positions behind. Alex Marquez was required to serve a double long-lap penalty for his role in a Sprint incident and dropped to P9 as a consequence.
On Lap 11, Marquez made a move down the inside of Martin to take the lead. Martin fought back initially and closed the gap to under a second, but the defending champion responded by setting the fastest lap of the race and pushing his advantage back over 1.2 seconds just a couple of laps later. From there, Marquez managed his advantage and crossed the chequered flag for his sixth victory of the season.
Bezzecchi and Bastianini fight for the podium
Behind the leading pair, the more compelling battle in the closing laps was for third. Bastianini set four consecutive fastest laps in the final stages to reel in Bezzecchi, but the Italian held on across the line, with Bastianini finishing just 0.4 seconds short of a podium that would have been his first of the year.
Further back, Raul Fernandez took fifth after a battle with home favourite Ai Ogura, while Pedro Acosta, who recently claimed his first-ever GP victory at the Austrian GP, finished behind him. Bagnaia finished eighth, Aldeguer ninth and Luca Marini tenth.
Championship standings
Martin heads to Indonesia holding a two-point lead over Marquez (333 to 331), while Bezzecchi is now 49 points back in third. The Mandalika circuit in Lombok has historically suited Aprilia, giving Martin reason for optimism ahead of Round 17.
