MARQUEZ WINS AT MOTEGI AND CLOSES TO WITHIN TWO POINTS OF MARTIN

Marc Marquez completed a Motegi double by beating title rival Jorge Martin to victory in Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix, cutting the championship leader’s advantage to two points. The Ducati rider’s sixth win in nine races followed his Sprint success on Saturday. It was his third Sprint-and-Grand-Prix double since Aragon and his third Grand Prix win in four races.

Starting from pole, Martin made the stronger launch and led into the first corner, with Marquez second and Marco Bezzecchi third. Bezzecchi had started fourth and passed Pedro Acosta off the line. He initially stayed close to the leaders, but their pace increased on lap four and they began to pull away. Marquez made his move under braking at turn nine on lap 11 and took the lead. Martin tried to respond a lap later but ran onto the green at the exit, allowing Marquez to build an advantage. By lap 16, the leader was nearly a second clear, and a late fastest lap helped shut down any prospect of a challenge.

Marquez said his preferred plan had been to lead at the first corner, but Martin’s start was stronger and he chose not to force the issue. “I was patient on the first lap because with the H tyre; we [only] had experience with the hard tyre in the warm-up,” he said. After three laps, he began pushing to close the gap and manage the pace. Once in front, he said, “when Martin was pushing a bit, I was pushing [too], but trying to control the risk and the pace.” He was “Happy to achieve the 37 points again,” adding that a small change after the Sprint had improved his feeling on the bike.

Speaking to AS, Marquez said Ducati had been “working as a team” and giving “100 per cent” to compete with the two Aprilias. He described the plan as taking the lead as soon as possible, then controlling the pace. Asked whether the title contest was becoming a two-rider fight, he replied: “No. It’s starting to be a three-way battle. Bezzecchi is right in the mix and Jorge is in great form.” With six races remaining, he said, “there’s still a long way to go.”

Bezzecchi ran wide at turn three while trying to keep pace, but grew stronger in the second half and set his best lap times late on. Enea Bastianini also charged through the field, nearly taking third after setting successive fastest laps. Bezzecchi said: “It was a tough one, especially because Enea [Bastianini] was flying. I was improving my lap time every lap but Enea was catching, so it wasn’t easy.” The pair came together at the final corner, but Bezzecchi held third, 2.252 seconds behind Marquez. Martin was second at 1.363 seconds, while Bastianini finished fourth just 0.078 seconds behind Bezzecchi.

“Happy to be back on the podium,” Bezzecchi said, describing it as important after his difficult Sprint. He had seen Martin closer at moments, but Marquez was too far ahead to judge whether he was gaining. His main aim, he said, was to secure the podium; the pressure from Bastianini and improving bike feeling helped him push harder late in the race.

Martin said he was pleased with his performance but acknowledged that small mistakes had cost him. He felt he had ridden well enough to win, yet said it was “impossible to beat” Marquez “even on one of my good days.” Aprilia’s much-improved bike helped him mount a strong challenge after leading from pole, but Marquez proved unbeatable. Martin also noted Aprilia’s first Motegi podium and a track record at a circuit where the manufacturer had previously struggled. “It will be really difficult to beat him, but it is a privilege to be fighting with Marc at this stage in the championship and still in the lead,” he said.

After the race, Martin told Motorsport.com’s Spanish edition that Marquez remained “the stronger rider.” He said the pair were “a tad ahead” of the rest, but admitted that on Sundays Marquez “manages to secure those victories that I’m just a tad short of.” Martin added: “It’s all down to hard work, and it’ll come in the end.” With six rounds left, he said there were still plenty of points available. Martin also reported that treatment was helping his arm-pump problem. Although he had been worried by pain on Friday, he said: “Today I rode without having to think about the physical side of things, and that makes me very happy.”

Fernandez took fifth ahead of home rider Ai Ogura and Pedro Acosta, who recovered to seventh. Francesco Bagnaia was eighth, followed by Fermin Aldeguer and Luca Marini. Diogo Moreira crashed from ninth on lap nine. Alex Marquez, Jack Miller and Johann Zarco also fell late in the race; Miller rejoined and finished 19th. Alex Marquez and Zarco had served double long-lap penalties before crashing.

The result leaves Martin on 333 points and Marquez on 331. Bezzecchi remains third, 49 points behind the leader, while Acosta is fourth, 90 points adrift. Ogura moved up to fifth in the standings, passing Fabio di Giannantonio; Fernandez is seventh and Bagnaia eighth.

Tyre management was a major factor after Sprint blistering prompted Michelin to withdraw the soft rear. Every rider used the recommended hard rear alongside the medium front. The victory was also Ducati Corse boss Gigi Dall’Igna’s 100th with the manufacturer. Marquez praised Dall’Igna and his staff for working together on “all the small details” to fight their rivals.

Marquez’s celebrations were subdued, with TNT Sports 2 pundit Neil Hodgson suggesting his attention had already turned to the championship and the next round. The Indonesian Grand Prix at Mandalika is a circuit where Marquez has never finished a Grand Prix and has suffered several heavy crashes. Hodgson recalled a difficult Honda weekend after Marquez’s injury, when he believed the rider crashed four times. Marquez said he had been “a bit unlucky” in Indonesia, though he felt better in last year’s Sprint despite a long-lap penalty. The circuit’s tyre demands are expected to suit Aprilia more than Ducati, offering Martin a chance to regain ground.