The untouchable Martín wins the MotoGP sprint again! A change at the top of the championship is imminent

This year’s MotoGP season is slowly but surely coming to a close. The sprint race at the Japanese Grand Prix at the Motegi circuit was once again dominated by Jorge Martín. The rider of the Pramac Ducati satellite team came within eight points of championship leader Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia, who finished the race in third place, with his fifth triumph on Saturday. Among the direct contenders for the world title this year was Brad Binder on his KTM.

The Japanese Grand Prix and the Motegi circuit will host the fourteenth round of this year’s World Championship of Road Motorcycles series. It is the continuation of a challenging Asian leg of the season that features seven races in just nine weeks.

The morning qualifying session belonged to the satellite Ducati rider Jorge Martín, whose current form seems almost unstoppable. Pecco Bagnaia, who has lost a very promising lead at the front of the championship during a couple of grand prix, and KTM’s Jack Miller were still on the front row.

Martín easily converted pole position into the lead after the start of the 12-lap sprint. Bagnaiu, on the other hand, overwhelmed both Miller’s factory KTM and Brad Binder, starting from fifth position, during the pit stop from the grid.

Repsol Honda’s Marc Márquez earned the position during the first lap. Marco Bezzecchi, who moved closer to the championship lead with his victory in the Indian GP, dropped from fourth to the No. 6 position.

Bagnaia third in the end, Martín the winner!

Although Bagnaia’s interest was to at least make up ground on the flying Martín, the Italian instead fended off pressure from Márquez in the battle for fourth place.

Fortunately for the 26-year-old reigning champion, the Spaniard’s attacks didn’t last too long, with Bagnaia working out a relatively comfortable lead of more than one second on lap four.

Third place at the line gradually became a realistic prospect for Bagnaia as Miller was no match for the leading tandem of Martín and Binder. Although the South African kept the gap to Martín to within one second for several laps, the second man overall was visibly riding with complete composure.

Bagnaia was closing in on Miller step by step, while a chase group formed behind Márquez in the form of Johann Zarco and Bezzecchi. Aleix Espargaró was also looking to join the battle for fifth place before he dropped out of the sprint.

Bezzecchi was not to be outdone, outsprinting Zarco and looking to have a go at Márquez as well, but in an attempted manoeuvre he went off the track, costing the Italian two positions and dropping back to seventh.

Martín was in a league of his own, his lead over Binder was already one and a half seconds with four laps to go. There was no drama in those positions, while Miller defended his third position tooth and nail from the onrushing Bagnaia. However, the Australian finally succumbed a lap later. Miller went off the ideal track at turn 11, which Bagnaia promptly took advantage of.

Bezzecchi made for a compelling spectacle at the end of the sprint, making his second attempt to get past Márquez and take the final sixth place.

Martín once again put on an absolute beauty ride to take his third consecutive sprint triumph and fifth overall in Motegi. He was joined on the podium by Binder and Bagnaia, whose lead at the head of the championship has been reduced to just eight points.

Results of the sprint race at the MotoGP Japanese Grand Prix (12 laps = 57.612 km; top 10 only):

1. Jorge Martín (Sp., Ducati) 21:00.734
2. Brad Binder (RJA, KTM) +1.390
3. Francesco Bagnaia (Ita., Ducati) +5.279
4. Jack Miller (Aus., KTM) +6.194
5. Johann Zarco (Fra., Ducati) +6.315
6. Marco Bezzecchi (Ita., Ducati) +8.919
7. Marc Márquez (Span., Honda) +9.298
8. Fabio di Giannantonio (Ita., Ducati +10.189
9. Maverick Viñales (Span., Aprilia) +12.404
10. Raúl Fernández (Span., Aprilia) +15.366

2023 MotoGP rider standings (top 10 only):

1. Francesco Bagnaia (Ita., Ducati) 299
2. Jorge Martín (Spa., Ducati) 291
3. Marco Bezzecchi (Ita., Ducati) 252
4. Brad Binder (RJA, KTM) 201
5. Johann Zarco (Fra., Ducati) 162
6. Aleix Espargaró (Sp., Aprilia) 160
7. Maverick Viñales (Span., Aprilia) 139
8. Luca Marini (Ita., Ducati) 135
9. Jack Miller (Aus., KTM) 115
10. Álex Márquez (Span., Ducati) 108

Source: MotoGP