After the Japanese GP, we have another six weekends of competition ahead of us. But there is something that is evident and that is that whoever wins the title will be absolutely deserving and whoever loses it will also have been. The dynamic that we are seeing in recent weekends, including this one in Motegi, is that Jorge Martín and Marc Márquez, Marc Márquez and Jorge Martín, are one step ahead of the rest and if nothing strange happens, they are the two called to fight for the title.
And Bezzecchi does not finish falling off the hook, but what the two Spaniards are doing, one with Aprilia and the other with Ducati, is a true demonstration of talent, speed and management with the rest occasionally interfering, but without being able to reach their level at least in this part of the season.
Martín takes the pole, but Marc is first in line when the points are distributed
Jorge Martín’s ability to go fast on a lap has been overwhelming for many years, so much so that he has achieved practically one in every four pole positions that have been played. What happens is that in front of him he has a beast like Marc Márquez who rises to 1 in 3. Perhaps that is why it is so spectacular to see him face to face.
But when the traffic light goes out and although Martín has already shown his strength, Márquez continues to be a hungry beast who jumps for the gap no matter how small it may be and even more so if he knows that the rival is dangerous. That’s why when the Sprint started Marc went with everything to surpass Martín.
WE ARE SPRINTING 🚥
@marcmarquez93 leads BUT THERE’S A CRASH involving @37_pedroacosta, @fabiodiggia49 and @alexmarquez73 👀
#JapaneseGP 🇯🇵 https://t.co/dYJppXwqxc
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) October 3, 2026
From then on and until the checkered flag Marc was the great dominator, he imposed his pace, very high despite the tire problems that everyone suffered and running the entire race in the same second except for the last lap in which he dropped slightly.
Martín was losing the wheel but seemed to have the second position under control until one of the very fast Enea Bastianini and Diogo Moreira got so close to the Aprilia rider that, when Martín stepped outside the track limits by a very small margin, the Spaniard was penalized with one position. This happens if the limits are exceeded on the last lap and the driver behind or in front is less than half a second behind. Bastianini and Moreira were about three tenths behind and the penalty was inevitable.
Luckily for Martín, Bastianini, who was just behind him, also stepped on the green and, therefore, did not lose a podium that Bastianini did lose in his best weekend with the reborn KTM. Ai Ogura, in his home race, managed to finish fifth ahead of Bezzecchi, Zarco, Fernández and Quartararo, who completed the top9 that awards points.
Those who could not fight were Álex Márquez, Pedro Acosta and Fabio Di Giannantonio and an error by Álex in the first lap cost all three of them the race.
Here’s what happened between @alexmarquez73, @fabiodiggia49 and @37_pedroacosta 🔍
#JapaneseGP 🇯🇵 https://t.co/v4LLJSxNxp
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) October 3, 2026
Marc wins the Japanese GP and tightens the provisional classification again
After the problems that many pilots had with the rear tire due to the new Motegi asphalt and which, on the other hand, has allowed the pilots to fly and shatter previous records, for Sunday there were many more unknowns. Everyone took to the track with the hardest tire that Michelin brought to Japan and, in addition, in anticipation of problems they brought three options instead of the usual two.
So after a longer warm-up to get used to it, the race began with some doubts. Doubts that were almost dispelled after the traffic light went out with Jorge Martín who on this occasion managed to maintain first position to set the pace. Lap after lap until lap 10, Martín was in front at all times with Marc relatively close but without attempting the overtake, which came during lap 11.
👊 @marcmarquez93 HITS THE FRONT
#JapaneseGP 🇯🇵 https://t.co/wAurYkXPd8
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) October 4, 2026
The Ducati rider took the lead after studying Martín who could not fight for position but did not lose ground with Marc. Despite Márquez’s pace, Jorge held on while Bezzecchi was left behind and was losing one thousandth of a space with the two Spaniards.
On this occasion the tires held up without any problem and were in such good condition that the entire race, not only for Marc but also for Martín, was at the same pace as the Sprint. When it seemed that everything was decided, Enea Bastianini, coming from behind, arrived at the wheel of a Bezzecchi with the two in turn closing the distance not only with Martín but with Marc and although it may seem incredible, Bastianini set the fastest lap of the race on the penultimate lap, although a fierce Marco held on just barely until he took the podium behind Marc and Martín.
Another of the most intense and most spectacular battles for overtaking has been that of Fernández, Ogura and Acosta. The two Spaniards and the Japanese made several overtakes and Pedro even managed to place fifth before Fernández returned the coin and Ogura took the opportunity to finish in 5th, 6th and 7th places respectively.
This was a HOT FIRE battle for P5 🔥⚔️
#JapaneseGP 🇯🇵 | #MotoGP https://t.co/zaNrAuKLbW
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) October 4, 2026
Bagnaia spent another weekend away from the lead and despite this, due to the fall of Álex Márquez after also performing two long laps, he finished as the best Ducati in eighth place. Fermín Aldeguer and Luca Marini completed the top10.
The 2026 Japanese GP has been so extremely fast that even Franco Morbidelli, who finished fifteenth, 34 seconds behind Márquez, was faster than Bagnaia last year. Even so, this weekend is already history and now it’s time to look at next week’s Indonesian GP.
