Marquez Hunts Down Martin in Japan to Slash MotoGP Title Gap to Two Points

Marc Marquez turned the heat all the way up in the MotoGP title race on Sunday, dominating the Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi to record his sixth win of the season and complete a sprint-and-race double for the fifth time this year. The 33-year-old Ducati star stalked pole-sitter Jorge Martin for the opening 11 laps before pouncing at turn nine, and Martin never got close again.

It was Marquez's fourth victory at the Japanese Grand Prix and his first there since 2019, when he was still with Honda — and it could hardly have come at a better time. The win trims Martin's championship advantage to a paper-thin two points, 333 to 331, with six rounds remaining. Aprilia teammate Marco Bezzecchi held off a charging Enea Bastianini for third, finishing just 0.078 seconds clear.

Concerns over tyre wear on the resurfaced Motegi track pushed the whole field onto the hard rear Michelin, and Marquez managed his race perfectly, stretching his lead past a second on lap 18 and easing home. The series heads next to Indonesia, where Mandalika is rated one of Martin's strongest circuits — the defending champion will need everything he has to hold off the charging Marquez.