Marc Marquez cut Jorge Martin’s MotoGP championship lead to two points by winning the Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi, completing a weekend double after his Sprint victory on Saturday.
The Ducati rider passed Aprilia’s Martin at Turn 9 on lap 11 of the 24-lap race and went on to win by 1.363 seconds. Martin, who had started from pole position, finished second and retained the championship lead, while his Aprilia team-mate Marco Bezzecchi took third after resisting a late challenge from Tech3 KTM’s Enea Bastianini.
According to MotoGP, Marquez now has 331 points with six rounds remaining. Martin’s advantage has narrowed to two points, while Bezzecchi is third on 284 points. The result gives the leading pair little separation after a weekend in which both took significant points, but it leaves the title outcome unresolved.
Marquez finds the opening after Martin’s pole start
Martin made the better launch from pole and led Marquez into the first corner. Bezzecchi ran behind the title contenders early on, before losing contact as the front two established their pace.
The official MotoGP report said the gap between Martin and Marquez was four tenths of a second by lap five, with both riders recording laps in the 1min 43sec range. By lap 10, they had pulled 1.9 seconds clear of Bezzecchi, creating a direct contest between the Aprilia and Ducati riders at the front.
Autosport reported that Marquez increased his pressure from lap seven before making his move four laps later. He went up the inside of Martin at Turn 9, taking the lead for the first time in the race. Martin initially stayed close, but Marquez gradually extended the margin and had enough in hand to control the closing laps.
Marquez told the BBC that he had found the race difficult while following Martin but believed his pace would be strong if he could get into clean air. The win was his sixth Grand Prix victory of the 2026 season, according to Autosport, and followed his Sprint success at the same circuit.
For Martin, second place limited the immediate damage after he had led the race’s opening phase. The Aprilia rider collected 20 points, MotoGP said, and remains at the top of the standings. The reduced margin means that a single race result can now have a substantial effect on the championship order, although six rounds still remain.
Bezzecchi holds off Bastianini for final podium place
The fight for third tightened considerably in the final stages. MotoGP reported that Bastianini set four consecutive fastest laps as he closed on Bezzecchi, who had fallen away from the front-two battle earlier in the race.
Bastianini reached Bezzecchi on the last lap but could not complete a pass. Autosport reported that Bezzecchi held off Bastianini for third, with Bastianini fourth. Bezzecchi is third on 284 points, 49 behind leader Martin.
Raul Fernandez finished fifth for Trackhouse Aprilia, ahead of his team-mate Ai Ogura and KTM’s Pedro Acosta. Francesco Bagnaia was eighth, while Fermin Aldeguer and Honda rider Luca Marini completed the top 10, according to the official result coverage.
Hard rear tyre becomes the universal choice
The race took place after a late change to the tyre situation at Motegi. Michelin withdrew the soft rear tyre from the race allocation following problems in Saturday’s Sprint and recommended its reinforced hard rear option for Sunday.
Motorsport reported that the reinforced-casing hard tyre had been considered a contingency option for Motegi’s relaid track surface. Every rider selected that hard rear for the Grand Prix. Motorsport reported that teams had not used it in practice on Friday or Saturday and only sampled it during an extended 20-minute warm-up on Sunday morning.
Marquez and Martin said after the race that the tyre had performed better than expected. Motorsport reported that Marquez believed it could even have been viable for qualifying, while Martin said he had been impressed by its stability and grip.
That late discovery does not alter the result, but it provides important context for the Motegi contest. With the same rear option chosen across the grid, Marquez’s pass and subsequent pace advantage over Martin decided a race that has brought MotoGP’s leading title rivals almost level.