The 1 stays cool under pressure and the 89 too as Acosta crashes out and Marquez vs Bastianini goes the other way on Sunday
Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) held firm at the front at the Motul Grand Prix of Japan, taking the lead and keeping his nerve as key title rival Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) applied the pressure throughout. With the #1 taking the win ahead of the impressive charge up the order from P11 for Martin, it’s now just 10 points in it at the top of the table.
Behind, Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) turned the tables on Saturday duelling partner Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team), taking another podium finish and keeping those two locked together in the standings too.
Bagnaia nailed the start but polesitter Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) stayed aggressive to try and take the holeshot, coming up just short and wide enough to let Bagnaia through. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) got a good launch up into third, with Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) just behind, and Marc Marquez and Martin once again got great launches from further back to immediately put themselves in contention.
Fireworks started there nearly immediately as a huge shuffle kicked off, with Binder slightly wide, Bastianini going for that gap and Marquez trying to create another, the end result of which a couple of apexes later was actually Binder back ahead and Martin having picked his way through to fourth. Then Marquez went for Bastianini but Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) went for both.
Once that had been settled – for the moment – Marquez was back past Miller into fourth and Bastianini made it through not long after. Next, Marquez made a divebomb on Binder to take over in what had become third – with Martin up into second as drama had hit up ahead for Acosta.
Out the final corner, the Rookie of the Year just overcooked it and slid out from behind Bagnaia, losing the chance at his first MotoGP win from his first MotoGP pole. That put Martin into second from P11 on the grid, but new race leader Bagnaia now held a 1.5 second advantage. Lap by lap, however, that began to come down.
Meanwhile, Bastianini was on the back of Binder looking for a way through, and that proved hard to find. After a couple of attempts parried by the South African, the Italian finally managed to slice through at Turn 3 and take over in fourth – just as the white flag went out.
Yet, the rain largely stayed at bay. Enough for Bagnaia and Martin to keep the hammer absolutely down at the front, with the 1 seeming in control until the charge really started to seem ominous. It went down to one second, then eight tenths, as Martin homed in, but the 89 said a moment on the front end made him take stock. 20 points for a 10-point lead and no Sunday errors? Not priceless, but definitely a good buy.
Bastianini continued to bother Marquez in the fight for third, but the 23 just couldn’t quite get within striking distance. After the eight-time World Champion had headed wide earlier in the race, Bastianini had closed up but the gap was a concertina round the lap – from seven tenths back down to just under half a second, with no option to try a move.
Up ahead, Bagnaia kept it cool to hit back in the title fight and take his eighth win of the season, making 2024 his best year in terms of wins and bringing that gap back down to 10 points ahead of the final four race weekends of the year. But Martin’s charge from P11 on the grid was also a noteworthy one in the pendulum of ever-changing momentum, with Phillip Island now set up to see the fireworks start again.
Marquez kept it tidy in the latter laps to give Bastianini no chance at a move, completing the podium and moving back to within two points of the ‘Beast’ in the standings.
Behind, Binder just lost out on fifth as Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing) charged up the order to deny the South African. Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) took P7 just ahead of teammate Fabio Di Giannantonio, before a gap back to top Aprilia Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) after Maverick Vinales crashed out from up ahead. Miller completed the top ten, holding off Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) after an impressive performance from the Frenchman – and a less controversial one than his Tissot Sprint.
Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) was next up ahead of Takaaki Nakagami (IDEMITSU Honda LCR) as he scored points in his final Japanese GP as a full-time rider. The scorers were rounded out by Luca Marini (Repsol Honda Team) and Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse Racing). An early race incident saw Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) make contact with Joan Mir (Repsol Honda Team) and both DNF, with the 73 given a Long Lap Penalty for it to be served next time out.
There was opportunity aplenty for the key contenders to falter at Motegi, but despite a season where sometimes shock twists and turns have changed the whole picture in an instant, it was a weekend where both held firm under pressure. As a consequence it’s now closer than it has been for some time right at the top, with 10 points in it as we head for the island.
We’ll see you Down Under. We know you won’t want to miss this!
