“Precise” Marquez delivers Motegi double

Marc Marquez completed another near perfect weekend in Japan, trimming the championship gap to Martin to just two points in the process

Marc Marquez produced a calm and calculated performance at Motegi to complete a Japan double for Ducati Lenovo Team, taking victory in the Grand Prix and leaving the circuit with the championship fight almost level.

The Ducati rider crossed the line after a measured ride that saw him spend the first part of the race tucked in behind Jorge Martin before taking control on lap 11. From there, Marquez managed the race from the front and secured his 79th win, his fourth premier-class success at Motegi and one of his most important results of the season.

The build-up to the race had centred on tyre choice, with the rear option a major talking point before the start. In the end, every rider went with the hard rear Michelin for the 24-lap contest, despite limited running on that specification across the weekend. That left plenty of uncertainty heading into the Grand Prix, but Marquez and Ducati handled it best when it mattered.

Martin made the perfect launch from pole and grabbed the holeshot, with Marquez settling into second. As the field sorted itself out behind them, the leading pair quickly began to establish themselves at the front. Their pace was stronger than the rest of the field from the early laps, and it became clear the race win would likely come down to the two title rivals.

Marquez stayed patient through the opening laps, applying pressure without forcing an early move, while Martin continued to lead. By lap five, only a few tenths separated them, and both riders were operating at a level the rest could not match. Behind them, Marco Bezzecchi remained in touch for a while, but the gap began to grow as the race approached halfway.

The key moment came on lap 11. Marquez made his move at Turn 9, diving up the inside and putting his Ducati in the right place at the apex to take over at the front. Once he was ahead, he quickly settled into his rhythm and began to edge away.

Martin tried to respond and at times was able to trim the margin slightly, but Marquez never looked rattled. Each time the pressure hinted at building, he found more pace. In the closing laps he stretched the lead back out enough to remove any real late-race threat and brought the bike home in complete control.

While the battle for victory was decided between the top two, there was also a late fight for the final podium place. Bezzecchi had occupied third for much of the race, but Enea Bastianini came hard in the closing stages, reeling him in with a sequence of fastest laps. The gap came down rapidly on the run to the finish, but Bezzecchi held firm and denied Bastianini a place on the rostrum.

Other scorers inside the top 10 included Raul Fernandez in fifth after winning a close fight with Ai Ogura and Pedro Acosta, while Fermin Aldeguer and Luca Marini rounded out the 10. Brad Binder, Fabio Quartararo, Somkiat Chantra, Maverick Viñales and Franco Morbidelli also collected points.

After finishing just outside the points in the Sprint race, Jack Miller spent much of the Sunday’s race fighting with his teammate before a mistake on lap 20 resulted in a crash. He was able to rejoin the race and eventually crossed the finish line in 19th, but was still bouyed by the progress the team had made with the hard tyre over the weekend.

Martin’s second place still brought in valuable points, but the bigger story was the damage Marquez had done to the championship lead. With 25 points for the Grand Prix win added to his Sprint result from earlier in the weekend, he left Japan on 331 points, only two adrift of Martin’s 333 after 16 rounds.

The result also strengthened Ducati’s season-long campaign in the other classifications. Ducati Lenovo Team remains second in the teams’ standings on 495 points, while Ducati continues to lead the Constructors’ Championship with 469.

Attention now shifts to the Indonesian Grand Prix at Mandalika, where Ducati Lenovo Team returns to action on Friday, October 9. After Motegi, the title race has become even tighter, and Marquez arrives with momentum firmly on his side.

Marc Márquez – 1st
“I’m really happy with the 37 points we were able to score this weekend, because that was the goal. It was a difficult race, especially in the opening laps behind Jorge (Martín). Then, once in the lead, I simply managed my pace and pushed a little harder when he got closer. It’s never easy, but the feeling from the Sprint onwards was very good, and today I was able to be consistent and precise. Now let’s see how things will be in Indonesia but, generally speaking, since Aragón – Austria aside – I am feeling really well with the bike. I’m happy with Gigi’s 100 wins and to have given my little contribution. I’m taking great advantage of everything he’s built with Ducati over the years.”

Jorge Martin – 2nd
“I’m very happy because we did a great job. I rode very well and maintained a strong pace until the end. I tried to push until the last lap, but Márquez had something extra. I feel privileged to be leading the championship and battling with Marc. Together with Aprilia, we’re doing a great job. We have all the potential to fight until the end.”

Marco Bezzecchi – 3rd
“I gave it my all and brought home the best possible result. It was a really hard-fought podium, especially with Bastianini strong in the final stages. I really wanted to make up for yesterday. Since the injury, I’ve had to improve every weekend, so now I need to keep closing the gap and take the opportunities when they come.”

Jack Miller – 19th
“I started the race reasonably well, but immediately I was struggling with the tyre pressure and locking the front a lot. The bike became quite difficult to ride, and I was losing time because I couldn‘t brake the way I wanted. The frustrating thing is that this morning, with the same front tyre from the Sprint and the new hard rear, I could run 1:44s all day and did my best lap at the end in 1:44.1. In the race, I couldn‘t get close to that pace and was stuck around the 1:45s. The biggest thing we need to improve is the consistency between the sessions and the race. We need to understand how to manage the tyre better, especially when starting from so far back and riding in traffic, because the pressure builds up very quickly. Even after the crash, the last few laps were actually the best the bike had felt all race, when the tyres had settled down again. The positive is that we learned a lot about the hard rear today. We had been unsure about it because historically it hasn‘t always been the best option, but this morning it worked really well and gave us strong pace. That is useful information for the next races, and hopefully we can make the most of the same casing in Mandalika. The last couple of races have been challenging for us, but we‘ll keep working and stay positive. We know there are areas where we need to make a big step, particularly in the way we use and load the tyres, and that‘s what we‘ll focus on.”