Francesco Bagnaia, the reigning MotoGP champion, dominated the Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi on Sunday, securing his eighth win of the season and significantly closing the gap to championship leader Jorge Martin. Bagnaia, who started the race in second after a strong performance in qualifying and a sprint race victory on Saturday, maintained his lead throughout the 20 laps, holding off a determined Martin. This victory marks a milestone for Bagnaia as his first eight-win season in his career.
Martin, riding for Pramac Racing, managed a second-place finish, putting him on 392 points in the championship standings. Bagnaia now sits in second place with 382 points, setting up a thrilling showdown for the title with just four races remaining. “I feel super happy. We managed to gain 11 points during this weekend,” said Bagnaia, whose victory also marked the 900th MotoGP win by an Italian rider in history.
The race began under overcast conditions at Motegi’s Twin Ring circuit with pole-sitter Pedro Acosta being overtaken before the first turn by a charging Bagnaia. Martin, who had crashed during qualifying and started from the fourth row, had a remarkable opening lap, moving up from 11th to fourth. The championship battle intensified on lap four when Martin surged into second place, overtaking Brad Binder and rookie Acosta, who had crashed in the sprint race earlier that day.
Bagnaia displayed masterful race management, keeping a comfortable gap between himself and Martin. “Jorge today was much stronger, so I was just trying to manage the gap,” Bagnaia explained. “I think the pace was incredible. We have to move on to the next one with the same ambition, the same strategy, and try to continue like this.”
As the race entered its final stages, Martin mounted a late challenge, closing the gap to 0.8 seconds on lap 22. However, Bagnaia, alerted to the danger, responded by increasing his pace, effectively shutting down Martin’s attempt to take the lead.
“I’m happy about the result today. I think we did an amazing race,” said Martin. “For sure, being close to Pecco (Bagnaia), I wanted to give it a try, so I never gave up during that race. I pushed in the end. I’m super happy about this second position.”
Gresini Racing’s Marc Marquez rounded out the podium after starting ninth on the grid. The six-time MotoGP champion showcased his expertise, fending off a series of attacks to secure a hard-fought third-place finish against Ducati’s Enea Bastianini. “Another podium. It was a difficult weekend, but we’re on the podium again, so super happy,” Marquez shared.
The race was briefly interrupted by a weather change on lap ten, with dark clouds rolling in over Motegi. Race directors waved the white flag, allowing riders to swap bikes for wet conditions, but the skies eventually cleared without any rain. Home hero Takaaki Nakagami of LCR Honda, in his final Japanese Grand Prix as a full-time MotoGP rider, finished 13th, while Aprilia’s Maverick Vinales had a disappointing race, falling from third to 11th before crashing out midway through the race.
