Marc Márquez Takes Fourth Motegi Victory 

The Ducati Lenovo rider completed a perfect weekend in Japan with 37 points, while Jorge Martín retains a two-point lead in the championship.

Subscribe to our Instagram channel for the latest info and news!

Marc Márquez has strengthened his 2026 MotoGP title challenge after completing a double victory at the Motul Grand Prix of Japan, winning both the Sprint and Sunday’s Grand Prix at the Mobility Resort Motegi.

The Ducati Lenovo Team rider battled past championship leader Jorge Martín of Aprilia Racing during Sunday’s race to cut the gap in the standings to just two points with the championship heading to Indonesia.

Martín, the 2024 World Champion, finished second to collect 20 valuable championship points and retain the lead with 333 points. Márquez now sits second with 331 points after the sixteenth Grand Prix of the season.

Marco Bezzecchi completed the podium for Aprilia Racing after keeping Enea Bastianini behind him during a tense late-race battle.

Márquez Completes Perfect Japanese Weekend

Márquez scored a total of 37 points across the Sprint and Grand Prix, achieving the target he had set for the weekend. The Spaniard initially found himself behind Martín during the opening laps before taking control of the race. Once in front, Márquez managed his pace while responding whenever Martín closed the gap.

“I’m really happy with the 37 points we were able to score this weekend, because that was the goal. It was a difficult race, especially in the opening laps behind Jorge. Then, once in the lead, I simply managed my pace and pushed a little harder when he got closer,” Márquez said.

The result also marked Márquez’s fourth MotoGP victory at Motegi. He added that the feeling with the Ducati has been strong since Aragón, with the exception of the Austrian round.

Ducati Reaches 100 MotoGP Wins Under Dall’Igna

Márquez’s victory also came on a significant weekend for Ducati Corse, which celebrated its 100th MotoGP race victory under General Manager Luigi Dall’Igna.

Márquez said he was pleased to contribute to the milestone and praised the work carried out by Dall’Igna and Ducati over the years.

“I’m happy with Gigi’s 100 wins and to have given my little contribution. I’m taking great advantage of everything he’s built with Ducati over the years,” Márquez said.

Aprilia Secures Historic Motegi Podium

Marco Bezzecchi secured a historic result for Aprilia by finishing third, giving the manufacturer its first MotoGP podium at Motegi. Enea Bastianini finished fourth for Red Bull KTM Tech3 after producing strong late-race pace.

The battle for fifth was won by Aprilia Racing’s Raúl Fernández, who finished ahead of home rider Ai Ogura and Pedro Acosta.

Francesco Bagnaia was eighth for Ducati Lenovo Team, followed by Fermín Aldeguer of BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP and Honda HRC Castrol’s Luca Marini to complete the top 10.

Championship Battle Heads to Indonesia

The remaining points scorers in Japan were Brad Binder in 11th, Fabio Quartararo in 12th, Somkiat Chantra in 13th, returning rider Maverick Viñales in 14th and Franco Morbidelli in 15th.

After Motegi, Martín leads the championship with 333 points, while Márquez follows closely with 331 points. Bezzecchi remains third with 284 points, 49 points behind Martín.

The MotoGP championship now heads to Indonesia for the next round at the Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit in Lombok, with just two points separating the top two riders.

The 2026 title fight is now entering its next stage, with Márquez having significantly reduced Martín’s advantage after a maximum-points weekend in Japan.