#JapaneseGP – MOTOGP, SPRINT & RACE
MOTOGP – SPRINT: Bagnaia capitalises as Acosta slides out and Bastianini duels Marquez at Motegi
Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) has powered to an impressive Tissot Sprint victory at the Motul Grand Prix of Japan, initially claiming the lead before keeping his cool and charging to victory on Saturday. Bagnaia has brought the title gap down to just 15 points ahead of Sunday after Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) could only manage fourth – fighting from P11 on the grid. Bagnaia would defeat Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) and Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) after the pair had their own breathtaking battle.
Tension was high on the grid, with variable conditions throughout the day and spots of rain in the air, it was building to be an unforgettable Tissot Sprint. Bagnaia bagged the perfect launch, storming into the lead on the run to Turn 1. The #1 put the hammer down immediately, with polesitter Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) dropping to third.
However, Acosta began to gain back some of the ground lost, passing Bastianini for second and beginning to set sights on the reigning World Champion. The move came on Lap 3, with Acosta charging into the Sprint lead for the first time and began to push on.
Meanwhile, Martin pieced together a strong opening lap, carving through from the fourth row to P5, with Marc Marquez now glued onto his tailpipe. The #93 soon found his way through on the current Championship leader, demoting Martin to sixth.
There was early disappointment for Joan Mir (Repsol Honda Team), crashing in the early stages at Turn 11. Soon, drama would strike for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Brad Binder, with the #33 retiring to the pitlane. Takaaki Nakagami (IDEMITSU Honda LCR) also suffered a crash, colliding with his teammate on Lap 5 – Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) was handed a Long Lap for this incident.
Meanwhile, at the front, Acosta eked out a marginal fourth-tenth gap over Bagnaia, with the top three remaining locked together on the circuit. The gap soon increased on Lap 8, with the rookie edging his lead to over half a second for the first time. However, disaster would strike for Acosta, crashing out of the Sprint lead on Lap 9 – rider OK.
Crucially, Bagnaia was promoted into P1, extending a seven-tenth margin to teammate Bastianini, who was now under pressure from Marc Marquez in third. The #93 pounced on Bastianini on Lap 11, with ‘The Beast’ not waiting to respond, launching an attack at Turn 11 with inches separating the pair – to the delight of the Japanese fans.
Heading onto the final lap, Bagnaia had a one-second advantage, which was closed to less than two-tenths. However, Pecco remained unstoppable, claiming an incredible Tissot Sprint victory from Bastianini, who denied the recovering Marc Marquez second, who claimed an incredible result – battling from the third row.
Martin was able to bag a strong fourth on Saturday, taking solid Championship points after beating teammate Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing), with the #21 completing yet another confidence-boosting ride. Meanwhile, Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) grabbed sixth, placing 0.120s ahead of Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™). Behind, Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Aprilia Racing’s Maverick Viñales took the final point-scoring positions after another Saturday thriller.
MOTOGP – RACE: 10 points in it: Bagnaia holds off Martin as Acosta suffers Sunday slip-up
Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) delivers win number eight of the season at the Motul Grand Prix of Japan, adding his name to an illustrious list after the #1 claimed the perfect launch off the line before setting a relentless pace from start to finish. The reigning World Champion defeated Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing), who charged from P11 on the grid and now has his advantage reduced to just 10 points. It is heating up to be an unmissable end to the season, with everything remaining up for grabs.
Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) came home on a strong third after an incredible ride from the #93, who defended hard in the closing laps. Meanwhile, there was further disappointment for Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3), with the rookie crashing out from the Grand Prix and ending the weekend with zero points scored.
At the start, Bagnaia made a great initial start, with the reigning World Champion levelled by Acosta on the brakes. The reigning World Champion was fierce, pouncing into the lead, forcing Acosta to slot into second. Meanwhile, a huge fight for third began to break out, with Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) holding firm.
Martin and Marc Marquez were on the move in the opening stages, launching their machines inside the top five. Marc Marquez would complete an incredible overtake on Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jack Miller to enter the all-important top five.
Meanwhile, there was drama further back with Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) suffering an early end to his day after a collision with Joan Mir (Repsol Honda Team) – riders OK. The FIM MotoGP™ Stewards investigated the incident and handed Alex Marquez a Long Lap for the Australian GP.
At the end of Lap 3, everything came to an end for Acosta, who crashed out of Grand Prix at the final corner – promoting Martin to P2. Acosta’s blunder allowed the reigning World Champion to stretch his lead to over one second from his closest rival, Martin. The fastest laps would begin to trade hands in the opening stages as Martin began to edge closer in an enthralling twist.
Marc Marquez continued to make ground, bravely passing Binder for the final spot on the podium. The South African was soon under pressure from Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team), who continued to find time after a busy start. Bastianini made the move stick on Lap 10, with ‘The Beast’ now in a strong fourth.
Further back, Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) had a tough start after launching from the front row. The #12 soon began to battle with his teammate Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) for the final spot inside the top 10 before crashing on Lap 12 – rider OK.
It was building to be a rematch of Saturday’s Sprint battle, with Bastianini making inroads on Marc Marquez after a mistake on the entry to Turn 1. The gap was less than a second as a podium fight brewed, to the delight of the Japanese fans.
The leading duo continued to run an astonishing pace, with Bagnaia maintaining an eight-tenth gap to Martin with just a handful of laps remaining. The #1 responded, stretching the margin to over one second – pushing Martin to the limit.
On the final lap, Bagnaia looked unstoppable, stealing the spotlight on Sunday and reducing Martin’s Championship advantage with four rounds remaining. It is building to be a classic end to 2024, with Martin crossing the line in second, ahead of Marc Marquez. The #93 worked hard in the closing stages, bagging a podium after starting from ninth.
Bastianini crossed the line in fourth, securing a strong points tally on Sunday and beating Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing), with the #21 rounding out the top five. Morbidelli’s Sunday consistency continues, finishing ahead of Binder after an intense finish with just 0.562s separating the pair. Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team’s Marco Bezzecchi and Fabio Di Giannantonio rounded out the top eight spots, completing a strong day for the Bologna brand.
Espargaro and Miller took the final spots inside the top 10, with the Australian unable to find late race pace after a string start. Meanwhile, Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) placed 11th, pipping Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) at the line after the #20 ran out of fuel. Takaaki Nakagami (IDEMITSU Honda LCR) finished an emotional Grand Prix, beating Luca Marini (Repsol Honda Team) and Trackhouse Racing’s Raul Fernandez, who took the final points on Sunday.
The race didn’t go as I’d hoped. After the overtake by Brad (Binder) I lost a few more positions as he made me go wide at turn 10 and others took advantage. After that, I tried to do the best, but it was too late already; the two at the front had pulled away already and Marc (Márquez) managed to overtake Binder much quicker than I did. It took me a lot longer and stressed the rear tyre in the many attempts – and this impacted my performance in the second half of the race. I tried to bridge the gap to Marc, and I got really close to him, but not close enough to give it a try.
Enea Bastianini – P4
A shame to crash that early. We had changed a lot on the bike to gain more feeling and for what we’ve been missing a bit this season. I’m keen to get to Australia and to continue to work with this base. I want to finish the year in a stronger way.
Augusto Fernández – NC
Click the button below to find out all the images of the #KytCrew during the weekend in Japan.