There was drama from start to finish and beyond in Motegi, as the Sprint delivered plenty of action for the Japanese crowds. Marc Márquez was in full control and took the race win, with championship rival Jorge Martín giving chase and joining him on the podium. Splitting the title contenders was Diogo Moreira, who scooped up second place and his maiden Sprint podium. And where better to achieve it than at Honda’s home circuit?
Opening Lap Chaos
There was a last-minute change before the race start, as Marco Bezzecchi decided to ditch the soft rear tyre for the medium compound. The only other rider running the medium rear was Pramac’s Jack Miller. Whether it was the right move was yet to be seen.
As the lights went out, it looked like Jorge Martín was going to retain the lead from pole. However, Marc Márquez had other ideas. Firmly planting himself on the inside as they made their way through Turn 2, Marc forced Martín to back out and drop to second. As the pack made their way through Turns 3 and 4, disaster struck. Álex Márquez dropped his Gresini and bowled into Fabio Di Giannantonio whilst also clipping the rear of Pedro Acosta. In one swift moment, three riders found themselves out of the race.
The following lap and the yellow flags were still out at Turns 3 & 4. Both marshals and medics were checking on Di Giannantonio, before he was seen climbing into the back of an ambulance. Whilst he was later cleared of any serious injury, it was a worrying sight given how hard he had hit the ground.
Bezzecchi Starts To Falter
By the end of the second lap, Enea Bastianini was all over the back of Marco Bezzecchi. Just behind them, Diogo Moreira was also starting to put the pressure on home hero Ai Ogura. Bastianini made an excellent move to get past Bezzecchi on Lap 3. It was clear that the Aprilia was struggling with the medium rear tyre during the early phase of the Sprint. Up at the front, Marc Márquez wasn’t gaining his usual advantage, just 0.6 seconds ahead of Martín. In terms of the championship fight, it was crucial for Martín not to allow Márquez to disappear up the road. So far, he was doing a brilliant job of keeping up with the Ducati.
Bezzecchi was clearly struggling by Lap 4, and was starting to hold up those behind him. Ogura tried to get past the Aprilia, but couldn’t make the move stick. Moreira wasted no time in taking advantage of the failed overtake, managing to slip by Ogura. On the following lap, Moreira made a long lunge through Turns 3 & 4 to snatch third place from Bezzecchi. Further back, there was a thrilling back-and-forth scrap between Raúl Fernández and Johann Zarco. The pair were repeatedly passing one another through almost every turn as they battled for seventh. As this was happening, the Japanese crowd were delighted by Ogura finally passing Bezzecchi to take fourth.
Late Stage Drama
Despite Acosta having been taken out right at the start of the Sprint, it was looking like a relatively good day for KTM. Enea Bastianini was solidly holding on to third, and Brad Binder was mixing with the midfield in 12th. However on Lap 9, Binder ran off the track at Turn 1. The South African rider crossed the gravel before finding enough asphalt to make it back onto the track.
With two laps to go, Binder got hit with a Long Lap Penalty for track limits, as did Toprak Razgatlıoğlu. Meanwhile, the returning Maverick Viñales managed to make a pass on Joan Mir to take 16th.
As the final lap got underway, the second Ducati of Francesco Bagnaia was dropping down the order quickly. It had been another miserable day for Bagnaia, having started from 13th on the grid. However it went from bad to worse as he would ultimately finish 18th, with a severely worn rear tyre. Moreira began to close in on Bastianini, sensing that there was a potential for a podium, but time was running out. Martín, having remained focused on keeping Márquez in his sights, got something of a wake-up call through the final few corners as Bastianini began to bear down on him.
The chequered flag waved as Marc Márquez crossed the line to take the Sprint win. Behind him, Martín just managed to fend off Bastianini to take second, with Moreira crossing the line in fourth.
Post-Race Results Change
Just when the Sprint looked like it couldn’t provide any more surprises, the stewards confirmed that both Martín and Bastianini had touched the green paint on the final corner of the final lap. This meant an automatic one-place drop in position for both riders, promoting Moreira to second and marking his first ever MotoGP Sprint podium finish.
With Martín being demoted to third, the title fight rolls over into Sunday’s Grand Prix race with just 7 points between Martín and Márquez. Whether we will see the championship lead change hands again is yet to be seen, but there’s bound to be plenty of action in Sunday’s Grand Prix race.
Feature image courtesy of MotoGP