Two-time and defending World Champion Francesco Bagnaia won the MotoGP World Championship Tissot Sprint Race Saturday at Motegi, in Japan. Riding his Lenovo Ducati on Michelin control tires, Bagnaia won the 12-lap race by just 0.181-second.
His teammate Enea Bastianini was the runner-up.
Championship points leader Jorge Martin was fourth on his Prima Pramac Ducati. Bagnaia is 15 points behind his principal title rival Martin, who has 372 points. Bastianini is third with 300 points.
World Championship Classification
More, from a press release issued by Dorna:
Bagnaia capitalises as Acosta slides out and Bastianini duels Marquez at Motegi.
The Italian secures Tissot Sprint victory ahead of Enea Bastianini and Marc Marquez, with polesitter Pedro Acosta crashing out.
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, and 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 pit lane. 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, everything came crashing down for Acosta on Lap 9, crashing out of the Sprint lead – 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.
There is further action to come at Motegi, and with the World Championship gap closing in, the Japanese Grand Prix could prove to be crucial as Acosta aims for redemption and Bagnaia sets sights on reclaiming the title advantage from Martin, who will start from P11. Find out what will unfold in the next chapter of the season as MotoGP™ returns on Sunday at 14:00 (UTC +9)!