2025 Japanese GP Race Report

Francesco Bagnaia's answer has arrived. Sure, he'll have to confirm it tomorrow in the decisive round of the Motul Japanese Grand Prix. But today, on Saturday at Motegi, he showed he's bounced back after a difficult period.

The inconsistent performances, doubts, and uncertainties of the past few weeks were swept away by a day in which the Italian was unrivaled: pole position in the morning, gold in the Tissot Sprint in the afternoon after 12 laps consistently in the lead, with an advantage that at times well exceeded two seconds. 

Number 63, who appeared to be in deep crisis two weeks ago at Misano, seems to have drunk the Asterix potion. Tomorrow, in the decisive round of the Motegi Grand Prix, he'll have the chance to fully confirm his return to the top. 

How it went:
While the Italian was setting the pace, a lot happened behind him. Right from the start, Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing) lost control of his RS-GP at the first braking point. The reigning world champion crashed, knocking over his teammate Marco Bezzecchi. It was a complicated day for the pair, who had four crashes in yesterday's practice.

Mir in the mix
. Joan Mir took the lead in the first corners behind Bagnaia, starting from second on the grid on the Honda HRC Castrol RC213V. Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team), third, was quickly passed by Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), who on the second lap also passed the number 36 rider to move into second place. 

On the third lap, Mir was attacked again, this time by the number 93 rider. However, he responded, holding on for third place. Two laps later, a new assault with the same result. 

A successful overtake,
Marquez had to wait until lap eight to land the final blow. He did it at Turn 10, with an aggressive maneuver that pushed his Honda compatriot well off the racing line. The Borgo Panigale factory rider then revved up and went to catch Acosta, whom he had passed on the tenth lap.

The medals
The final gold thus went to Bagnaia, with Marquez silver and Acosta bronze. A one-two for the Ducati Lenovo Team. 

The riders in the points
In fifth place, after a solitary race, was Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team). Also in the points were Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), Luca Marini (Honda HRC Castrol) and the Trackhouse MotoGP Team duo, with Raul Fernandez eighth and Ai Ogura following. 

The championship scenario
Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) is out of contention, having lost second place in the title race. To keep the championship alive, he'll have to say goodbye to Motegi tomorrow, having conceded less than three points to his brother Marc over the weekend. The task seems daunting. But never say never.

MOTOGP - RACE
Francesco Bagnaia completes the masterpiece, Marc Marquez new MotoGP™ champion

A factory Ducati rider on the top step of the podium and the other a fresh MotoGP title winner. It happened in 2007 at Motegi, with Loris Capirossi raising the winner's trophy while Casey Stoner took the World Championship. It happened again today, on the same track, with Francesco Bagnaia winning and Marc Márquez finishing second, sealing the title in the seventeenth of 22 rounds scheduled for 2025. For the 32-year-old, it's his seventh championship in the premier class, culminating a long and complicated journey over the past six years marked by injuries, surgeries, doubts, possible retirements, tears, and brand and team changes. 

High tension
. It was clear that something big was at stake on Sunday at the Motul Japanese Grand Prix. It was evident on the faces of the riders and the Borgo Panigale staff even before the start. The issue wasn't just about number 93, who was on his first match point of the season: Bagnaia, who took pole and gold yesterday in the Tissot Sprint, was called upon to prove he was back to form after several subpar races. He did so forcefully, but not without a few thrills. In the second half of the race, when he was leading by more than three seconds over the fastest rider, puffs of white smoke began to emerge from his GP25, which continued intermittently until the checkered flag, further raising the tension in the Ducati Lenovo Team garage. 

The initial stages
The Italian's performance was absolute and solitary. After less than three laps, he already had a lead of more than a second over the rest of the field. Chasing him were Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Marc Marquez, and Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol), the latter inspired aboard the RC213V, often spectacularly braking into Turn 11, where he decelerates from over 300 km/h to under 100 km/h, the rear wheel off the ground, the bike decidedly unhinged.

Acosta sinks.
Shortly before the halfway point, on lap 11, number 93 passed Acosta for second place and then drove away. The KTM rider was in trouble: between laps 14 and 17, he lost three positions to Mir, Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing), and Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team). Shortly thereafter, while trying to hold off Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP), he went straight into Turn 1 and rejoined the track last. The Spaniard thus ceded sixth place to the number 73, the only rider mathematically in contention for the title until the Motegi round, where, however, he never really got into the game.

Smoke from Ducati
The top positions remained locked until the checkered flag, with the only doubts being the endurance of Bagnaia's four-cylinder engine, which held firm until the end. On the podium, therefore, were the Italian, the newly crowned world champion, and Mir, who led Honda to the top at his home race. 

The top ten:
Fourth place for Bezzecchi, who started from ninth on the grid. Followed by Morbidelli, Alex Marquez, Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse MotoGP Team), Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), Johann Zarco (Castrol Honda LCR), and Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP), who completed the top ten. 

Enea Bastianini P11

“Overall, we can be happier than yesterday, and we've improved the bike's set-up slightly. With ten laps to go, I improved my pace and gave a little more. This is a strange world. Sometimes, on some circuits, nothing works the way you want. I think we need to understand why and try to be competitive on every track. I hope to see ourselves as competitive as we have been in the last three or four races. I want to get back into the top five like a few races ago.”

Daniel Holgado's Moto2
Solo: The stage is all his at Motegi

Not just his second win of the year, achieved in his first Moto2™ season. But another dominant performance. As was the case in early September in Barcelona, Daniel Holgado (CFMOTO Power Electronics Aspar Team) had no rivals at Motegi and ran away alone, setting a pace that no one has been able to replicate. He has finished on the podium every time he finishes. 

At the checkered flag, second place went to Jake Dixon (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team), with no one to threaten him in the closing stages. The situation was different for the final step of the podium, with Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team) and David Alonso (CFMOTO Power Electronics Aspar Team) battling it out for the title, with the Brazilian ultimately winning. 

The number 10 rider, currently second in the standings, made up a few points on leader Manuel Gonzalez (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP), who had a difficult Sunday and finished fifth. After a slow start from pole position, he found himself ninth. In his hasty recovery, he was penalized with a long lap for contact with Celestino Vietti (Beta Tools SpeedRS Team), who crashed. 

Sixth place went to Tony Arbolino (BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2), who at times held second place but then dropped back. The Italian held off Barry Baltus (Fantic Racing), who finished seventh.

Aron Canet (Fantic Racing), who arrived in Japan tied with Moreira in the overall standings, finished fifteenth. He is now third, 49 points behind the leader. Gonzalez and Moreira are separated by 34 points. 

Diogo Moreira P3

“I'm really happy with this result! We worked hard with the team this weekend, and finishing on the podium here is really important. Thanks everyone!”

MOTO3
Rain makes life difficult for riders, but Munoz makes the difference in Japan

When the trackside marshals waved the white flag with the Saint Andrew's cross, displayed because the track was slippery, it was David Munoz who made the difference. 

The Spaniard from the Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP team was the most decisive on Sunday at the Motul Grand Prix of Japan when a few drops of rain mixed things up. While not insistent, they still impacted the Moto3™ race, especially in the middle section. Number 64 broke away alone and was no longer in doubt. He thus secured his third win of the season, achieved on a day that could prove decisive in the title race in the cadet class. The 

second step of the podium was taken by championship leader Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo): after seeing the first drops of rain on his windshield, by lap eight he found himself in tenth place behind his closest rival in the title race, Angel Piqueras (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI). 

The races of the two contenders for the World Championship unfolded differently: the number 99 managed to regroup and take the silver medal in the finale, while his rival crashed. He restarted and finished eleventh. In Indonesia, in a week, Rueda will have a mathematical chance to seal the championship. 

The third step of the podium was decided in the final two turns. In the fast left-right that precedes the finish line, Valentin Perrone (Red Bull KTM Tech3) got inside Maximo Quiles (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team), but his rival responded in the change of direction and managed to forcefully reclaim the bronze medal. This was his eighth podium of the year.

Fifth place went to Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing), who finished ahead of home rider Ryusei Yamanaka (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI). Guido Pini (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) finished seventh despite two long lap penalties.

Luca Lunetta (SIC58 Squadra Corse) finished ninth, ahead of Dennis Foggia (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team). Also in the points were Matteo Bertelle (LEVELUP - MTA), twelfth, and Stefano Nepa (SIC58 Squadra Corse), fifteenth.

Adrian Fernandez P5

“It's been a rollercoaster weekend. Today's race was tough, especially when it started raining. We learned a lot from this race, which is very important for us ahead of the upcoming races on the Asian Tour. A big thank you to my team for their incredible commitment.”

Richard Rossi P20

David Almansa NC

"Although our race was hampered by the back-of-the-grid penalty, we managed to recover very quickly in the early stages of today's race. It's a shame we weren't able to finish the race and fight for a result here. We'll keep our heads high and try again at Mandalika next week."

Arbi Aditama NC