Commanding Marquez takes Japanese GP Sprint win ahead of promoted Moreira

Marc Marquez secured his seventh MotoGP Sprint victory of the season after storming to a commanding win in Japan.

Starting from second on the grid, the world champion took the lead into Turn 2 on the opening lap with a decisive move on polesitter Jorge Martin. Once ahead, Marquez controlled the pace as the championship leader remained close across the first eight laps without ever being in a position to mount an attack.

Marquez eventually sealed the win at the end of the 12-lap contest by 2.466 seconds as Martin dropped off in the closing stages. Crossing the finish line, the "Martinator" led Enea Bastianini by just 0.042 seconds, with Diogo Moreira finishing a further 0.246 seconds behind "The Beast".

However, post-race penalties reshuffled the order as both Bastianini and Martin were demoted one position for exceeding track limits on the final lap. As a result, Moreira was promoted to second place ahead of Martin and Bastianini, while home favourite Ai Ogura rounded out the top five.

Marco Bezzecchi was the sole frontrunner to gamble on the medium rear tyre for the Sprint, with the rest of the field opting for the soft compound. The choice proved disastrous for the Aprilia rider, who ran third early on before slipping behind Bastianini, Moreira, and Ogura to finish sixth.

Behind him, Johann Zarco, Raul Fernandez, and Fabio Quartararo completed the points-paying positions. Zarco and Fernandez delivered a thrilling race-long scrap, with Fernandez repeatedly diving down the inside at Turn 9, only to lose out on corner exit every time.

The opening lap was marred by a heavy crash at Turn 3 triggered by Alex Marquez. The Gresini Ducati rider misjudged his braking and wiped out Pedro Acosta, also collecting Fabio Di Giannantonio, ending the race for all three riders on the spot.

In the riders' championship, Martin retains top spot on 313 points, holding a slim seven-point lead over Sprint victor Marquez. Bezzecchi sits third, 45 points off the top, and will certainly regret his tyre gamble in today's race.

The Japanese Grand Prix main race, Round 16 of the 2026 MotoGP season, takes place tomorrow at 08:00 Bulgarian time and will be covered live on Sportal.bg.