Marc Marquez Beats Jorge Martin at Motegi to Cut MotoGP Title Gap to Two Points
Reigning champion completes Japanese Grand Prix double as Bezzecchi holds off Bastianini for the podium
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File photo: Marc Marquez (93) and Alex Marquez (73) during the 2025 Aragon motorcycle Grand Prix. Photo: TeamEG00, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
MOTEGI, Japan — Reigning world champion Marc Marquez passed title rival Jorge Martin on lap 11 and pulled clear to win the MotoGP Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday, cutting Martin's championship lead to just two points, MotoGP's official website reported.
The Ducati rider, who also won Saturday's sprint at Motegi, now has 331 points to Martin's 333 as the series heads to Indonesia. Aprilia's Marco Bezzecchi is third, 49 points off the lead.
The decisive move
Martin started from pole and led into the first corner, with Marquez tucked in behind. Motorsport.com said Marquez increased the pressure from lap 7 before sending his Ducati up the inside at Turn 9 on lap 11 to take the lead for the first time.
Martin initially matched his pace, but Marquez stretched his advantage to around a second and went on to claim his 79th premier-class victory, Motorsport.com reported. Martin, the 2024 champion, finished 1.363 seconds back, Motorsport.com said, for what MotoGP.com called his sixth second-place finish of the year.
Every rider started on the hard rear tyre, a step into the unknown after little running on that compound during the weekend, MotoGP.com said.
"Impossible to beat him"
Martin said he had to manage fuel consumption during the race and that Marquez took advantage at that point.
"During the whole weekend, he had something else than me," Martin told TNT Sports, according to Motorsport.com. "I did my best, I tried to push till the end. The pace was unbelievably fast, but yeah even on one of my good days, it was impossible to beat him."
"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, Crash.net reported.
Bezzecchi holds off Bastianini
Bezzecchi, Martin's Aprilia teammate, held on to third by 0.089 seconds after Tech3 KTM rider Enea Bastianini set four consecutive fastest laps late in the race.
Raul Fernandez was fifth ahead of Japanese rider Ai Ogura, with Austrian Grand Prix winner Pedro Acosta seventh. Francesco Bagnaia finished eighth, Fermin Aldeguer ninth and Luca Marini 10th.
MotoGP.com noted that Motegi is where Marquez clinched the 2025 title a year ago. The next round is at the Mandalika circuit on the Indonesian island of Lombok.
Sources: MotoGP.com; Motorsport.com; Crash.net
