Marc Márquez completes perfect Motegi weekend with Japanese Grand Prix victory
Jorge Martín, Marc Márquez and Pedro Acosta arrived at Motegi with the championship battle continuing to heat up, while Martín started the weekend with a 12-point advantage over Márquez.
After Márquez took Saturday's Sprint victory, the two title contenders were separated by just seven points heading into Sunday's race, setting up another important battle at the Japanese Grand Prix.
With Martín starting from pole and Márquez alongside him on the front row, the stage was set for another fight between the championship rivals. Here's everything that unfolded at Motegi.
Sprint Report
Marc Márquez took a dominant Sprint victory at Motegi after making a strong start from second on the grid and taking the lead from pole-sitter Jorge Martín through Turn 1.
Martín remained close behind as Márquez began to build a small advantage at the front, while Marco Bezzecchi and Enea Bastianini battled for third.
Drama struck at Turn 3 on the opening lap when Álex Márquez made contact with both Pedro Acosta and Fabio Di Giannantonio, sending all three riders into the gravel. All three riders were able to walk away from the incident, although Álex Márquez was later handed a double Long Lap penalty for Sunday's race.
With Acosta out of contention, Bastianini eventually moved past Bezzecchi on Lap 3, while Ai Ogura and Diogo Moreira joined the battle further back.
Moreira produced an impressive move to pass both Ogura and Bezzecchi and move into fourth, before Ogura fought his way past Bezzecchi himself.
Márquez continued to control the race at the front, but Martín began to struggle with rear grip towards the closing stages. Bastianini also closed in on the Aprilia rider, with Moreira joining the fight for the final podium places.
Martín and Bastianini both exceeded track limits on the final lap, resulting in one-position penalties for both riders after the chequered flag.
That promoted Moreira to second and gave the rookie his first MotoGP Sprint podium, while Martín dropped to third and Bastianini to fourth.
The Sprint also raised concerns over the rear tyres, with several riders suffering serious blistering and degradation. Michelin subsequently withdrew the soft rear from Sunday's allocation, leaving the medium and reinforced hard as the available options.
Race Report
Jorge Martín got a strong start from pole position and immediately settled into the lead, with Marc Márquez following closely behind and Marco Bezzecchi moving into third.
Ai Ogura was one of the biggest movers on the opening lap, making up four positions as the home favourite quickly worked his way through the field.
Following the tyre problems seen during Saturday's Sprint, the opening laps were relatively cautious as riders looked after their tyres. Pedro Acosta appeared to be struggling with his rear tyre, while
Martín looked comfortable at the front and began to establish a strong rhythm.
The reinforced hard rear tyre, which had been the subject of plenty of attention following the Sprint, was not proving to be the problem some had feared. The riders were able to settle into their race pace without the same dramatic tyre failures seen on Saturday.
Márquez remained within striking distance of Martín, while Bezzecchi continued to hold third.
Further back, Ogura's strong opening continued as he became involved in a close battle with Acosta. The pair traded positions as they fought for their place inside the top ten.
Diogo Moreira's race came to an end on Lap 9 when the rookie crashed out at Motegi, bringing his race to an early conclusion after his impressive Sprint podium the previous day.
Márquez continued to pressure Martín at the front and finally made his move on Lap 11, passing the Aprilia rider into Turn 9 to take the lead.
Once ahead, Márquez immediately began to stretch the gap as Martín settled into second. The Aprilia rider had looked extremely comfortable during the opening stages, but was unable to respond to Márquez once the Ducati rider found his rhythm.
Enea Bastianini was also enjoying a strong race, moving into fourth by Lap 14 as the Tech3 rider continued to put pressure on the riders ahead.
The battle between Ogura and Acosta remained one of the highlights further down the field, with neither rider willing to give up the position. Ogura continued to impress in front of his home crowd as the two remained locked together through the middle stages.
Álex Márquez's difficult weekend took another turn for the worse on Lap 20 when he crashed out of the race.
After already being handed two Long Lap penalties for his involvement in Saturday's Sprint incident, the Gresini rider was unable to recover his weekend and suffered another DNF.
At the front, Márquez continued to control the race through the closing stages, with Martín unable to close the gap.
The Ducati rider eventually crossed the line to complete a perfect weekend at Motegi, adding Sunday's Grand Prix victory to his Sprint win from Saturday.
Martín finished second, with Bezzecchi completing the podium. Bastianini took fourth ahead of Raúl Fernández, while Ogura finished sixth in front of his home crowd. Acosta recovered from his early tyre struggles to finish seventh.
The victory is a huge result for Márquez in the championship battle. Having arrived in Japan 12 points behind Martín, he leaves Motegi just two points away from the championship lead.
Don’t forget to catch the next race at the Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit on October 11th at 7am BST.
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