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# Marquez beats penalised Martin in Motegi sprint, Moreira stars
- URL: https://www.the-race.com/motogp/marquez-beats-penalised-martin-in-motegi-sprint-moreira-stars/
- Published: 2026-10-03T06:33:17.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-03T06:33:17.000Z
- Description: Ducati MotoGP rider Marc Marquez took five points out of a penalised Jorge Martin's championship lead with a commanding win in the Motegi sprint
- Author: Valentin Khorounzhiy
- Tags: MotoGP, #japanese-grand-prix, #marc-marquez, #image-bottom-center, #ducati, #secondary_feature_1

Ducati MotoGP rider Marc Marquez took five points out of a penalised Jorge Martin's championship lead with a commanding win in the Motegi sprint.  
  
Marquez picked off Martin at the start, setting up the move through Turn 1 and completing it through Turn 2.  
  
No real victory battle materialised from there as Marquez established a one-second buffer and managed it from there on out, with Martin looking to settle what should have been - but wasn't - an equally-comfortable second place.  
  
Both anyway gained significant ground on outside title hopeful Marco Bezzecchi, who had a very poor race despite being aided by attrition.Three rivals were removed from the podium battle as, after being overtaken into Turn 3 by Enea Bastianini, Pedro Acosta cut back in to take the corner and was then wiped out by a too-fast Alex Marquez, with Fabio Di Giannantonio also taken down.  
  
But Bezzecchi was one of two riders to have selected the medium rear for the race in lieu of the soft, and the choice proved downright disastrous.Third after the start, he had no pace to stay with the leading duo and was swallowed up by Bastianini, as well as Diogo Moreira and Ai Ogura.Moreira had overtaken Ogura while the latter was trying to make his way past Bezzecchi, and then set off after a podium. He reeled in Bastianini towards the end, and both suddenly closed in massively on Martin.  
  
Neither made the move, but both Martin and Bastianini fell foul of track limits on the final lap, catching the green paint coming off the kerb at Turn 10 - and thus promoting Moreira to a remarkable second place.  
  
The penalties meant Martin is now only seven points ahead of Marquez, with Bezzecchi 45 down on his team-mate.  
  
Ogura took fifth place ahead of Bezzecchi, followed by Johann Zarco and Raul Fernandez - who had engaged in a back-and-forth duel through the race.  
  
Fabio Quartararo snuck into ninth, fending off Fermin Aldeguer late on and ensuring that all five manufacturers scored in the sprint.  
  
The only rider to retire besides the three involved in the opening-lap crash was Pecco Bagnaia, last year's grand prix-and-sprint winner, who ran 13th but came in on the final lap with a shredded rear tyre.

## Race results

1 Marc Marquez (Ducati)  
2 Diogo Moreira (LCR Honda) +2.754s  
3 Jorge Martin (Aprilia) +2.466s\*  
4 Enea Bastianini (Tech3 KTM) +2.508s\*  
5 Ai Ogura (Trackhouse Aprilia) +5.992s  
6 Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia) +6.984s  
7 Johann Zarco (LCR Honda) +8.088s  
8 Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse Aprilia) +8.817s  
9 Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha) +10.586s  
10 Fermin Aldeguer (Gresini Ducati) +11.129s  
11 Luca Marini (Honda) +13.632s  
12 Franco Morbidelli (VR46 Ducati) +15.209s  
13 Alex Rins (Yamaha) +19.873s  
14 Somkiat Chantra (Honda) +19.983s  
15 Maverick Vinales (Tech3 KTM) +20.469s  
16 Jack Miller (Pramac Yamaha) +21.894s  
17 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pramac Yamaha) +38.442s\*  
18 Brad Binder (KTM) +41.284s  
RT Pecco Bagnaia (Ducati)  
DNF Pedro Acosta (KTM)  
DNF Alex Marquez (Gresini Ducati)  
DNF Fabio Di Giannantonio (VR46 Ducati)

\*denotes penalised riders