Marc Márquez produced a dominant performance to win the Japanese MotoGP Sprint at Motegi, reducing the gap to Jorge Martín in the championship standings after an action-packed race.
Despite Martín making an excellent launch from pole position, Márquez immediately attacked at the opening corner. The Spaniard made a decisive move under braking to take the lead before maintaining his advantage through the following changes of direction.
Chaos on the opening lap
Behind the leading pair, the race was turned upside down at Turn 3.
Alex Márquez completely misjudged his braking point and collided with Pedro Acosta, with Fabio Di Giannantonio also caught up in the incident. All three riders were eliminated from the Sprint as a result of the crash.
At the front, Marc Márquez quickly began to build his advantage. The Spaniard maintained an impressive pace and repeatedly lowered the fastest lap as he established firm control of the race.
Bezzecchi struggles as Bastianini and Moreira attack
The battle for the remaining positions intensified behind Márquez and Martín.
Marco Bezzecchi struggled after opting for the medium rear tyre and gradually lost ground, allowing Enea Bastianini and Honda rider Diogo Moreira to move ahead.
With Márquez comfortably controlling the race, attention shifted to the battle for the podium and the championship implications of the final laps.
Martín penalised after the finish
Jorge Martín initially crossed the finish line in second place, ahead of Bastianini and Moreira, but the result changed after the chequered flag.
Martín was handed a one-position penalty for exceeding track limits on the final lap. Bastianini received the same sanction.
The penalties promoted Diogo Moreira to second place, while Martín was demoted to third.
The outcome proved particularly important for Marc Márquez, who combined a dominant Sprint victory with valuable points gained on Martín in the MotoGP World Championship battle.
With Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix still to come, the fight at Motegi remains wide open.