MotoGP Japan: Márquez wins the double at Motegi, 2 points off Martin

Marc Márquez won the MotoGP Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi on Sunday 4 October 2026, the 16th round of the season. The Ducati rider completed the sprint-and-race double and closes to 2 points of Jorge Martin in the world championship. His win is also engineer Gigi Dall'Igna's 100th with Ducati in MotoGP.

The Motegi podium

Over 24 laps, Martin (Aprilia), starting from pole position, made a good start and held off Márquez into the first corner. Márquez took the lead on lap 11, at turn 9, and then pulled clear.

• 1. Marc Márquez (Ducati): 41:31.467
• 2. Jorge Martin (Aprilia): +1.363
• 3. Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia): +2.252
• 4. Enea Bastianini (KTM): +2.330
• 5. Raul Fernandez (Aprilia): +14.815

Bastianini set four consecutive fastest laps to close in on Bezzecchi, but missed the podium by a few hundredths. Ai Ogura (Aprilia) finished sixth, Pedro Acosta (KTM) seventh and Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) eighth.

A championship within two points

After Motegi, the championship standings read:

• Jorge Martin (Aprilia): 333 points
• Marc Márquez (Ducati): 331 points
• Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia): 284 points
• Pedro Acosta (KTM): 243 points

Bezzecchi is 49 points behind his team-mate Martin. The title fight is therefore tightening between the Aprilia rider and the reigning Ducati champion.

100 wins for Dall'Igna

The Ducati Corse general manager saw his 100th MotoGP win arrive at Motegi. He describes a golden era for the brand. Of those 100 wins, 31 came from Francesco Bagnaia. Ducati has won the riders' title every season since 2022. The bike that matters most to him, though, is the 2015 GP15, which never won.

Tyres at the centre of the weekend

After Michelin's concerns during the sprint, the brand brought out hard rear tyres shortly before the race. They ultimately did not weigh on the result, according to MotoMatters.

The next round takes place at Mandalika, in Indonesia.

The editorial team