(source : ANI) ( Photo Credit : ani)
Francesco Bagnaia powered his Ducati Lenovo Team bike to victory at the Motul Grand Prix of Japan, shrugging off some mid-race drama with wisps of smoke from his machine to claim his first double win of the MotoGP season. The race at Motegi’s Twin Ring circuit delivered high-stakes action, especially as Marc Marquez sealed his seventh MotoGP World Championship with a strong second-place finish—a historic comeback after 2,184 days away from the top spot.
Marquez, riding for Ducati Lenovo Team, stayed cool under pressure in his battle for the title. He started third and methodically worked his way up, overtaking Pedro Acosta on lap 11 to grab second. Despite small errors that let Joan Mir close in, Marquez held firm, securing the championship just behind teammate Bagnaia. It’s the longest gap between premier class titles in MotoGP history, following four surgeries and years of setbacks.
Mir, on the Honda HRC Castrol bike, stole the show for third place—his first podium since 2021 and a big moment for Honda on home soil in Japan. The 2020 world champion charged from a shaky start, dropping to sixth before clawing back to pass Acosta at turn 7. Mir finished 2.4 seconds clear of Marco Bezzecchi in fourth, giving fans at Motegi plenty to cheer.
The race kicked off with Bagnaia nailing the launch to take the holeshot ahead of Acosta, while Marquez slotted into third. Early on, Bagnaia built a lead of over two seconds by lap 6, but Luca Marini retired his Honda due to a mechanical issue, putting all the pressure on Mir. Marquez and Mir then reeled in Acosta, who faded late and dropped out of the top six after a turn 1 runoff.
Tension peaked when smoke started puffing from Bagnaia’s Ducati around lap 13. The Ducati pit crew looked worried, but Bagnaia kept his pace steady, extending his lead before the gap narrowed to 2.8 seconds with four laps left. He crossed the line 2 seconds ahead of Marquez, proving the issue wasn’t enough to derail his win.
Bezzecchi held off Franco Morbidelli for fourth, with Alex Marquez in sixth after a tough weekend. Raul Fernandez, Fabio Quartararo, Johann Zarco, and Fermin Aldeguer rounded out the top 10.
Marquez’s seventh MotoGP title caps an epic return, while Bagnaia’s victory keeps him in the hunt. MotoGP heads to Indonesia next for the Pertamina Grand Prix, where the action continues on Eurosport.
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