Francesco Bagnaia claimed victory at Motegi, while Marc Marquez secured his seventh MotoGP crown – and ninth world title overall – in a dramatic Japanese Grand Prix that thrilled fans from lights to flag.
Round 17 of the 2025 MotoGP season took place at the iconic Twin Ring Motegi. All eyes were on Marc Marquez, who arrived with a chance to clinch the world championship. The atmosphere was tense under dark skies, as Michelin confirmed that all riders had opted for medium compounds on both the front and rear tyres.
Aprilia’s Jorge Martin was absent after breaking his collarbone in Saturday’s sprint race, while Trackhouse rider Ai Ogura withdrew from his home Grand Prix due to a lingering hand injury sustained at Misano.
Bagnaia Controls the Race
Starting from pole, Bagnaia made a clean getaway and never relinquished the lead. Behind him, Pedro Acosta and Marc Marquez engaged in a fierce battle for second place as Bagnaia built a four-second cushion. Marquez soon moved into P2 and began chipping away at his team-mate’s advantage.
Midway through the race, smoke appeared from Bagnaia’s Ducati, prompting anxious faces in the Ducati Lenovo garage. Despite the mystery issue, the Italian kept his pace, while Marquez pressed on in pursuit.
Further back, Acosta dropped from third after coming under pressure from Joan Mir and Marco Bezzecchi. After being passed by both, the rookie ran wide into the gravel and tumbled out of the top ten.
Bagnaia held firm to take his first win of the 2025 season, with team-mate Marquez finishing second to clinch the championship. Joan Mir completed the podium with a strong ride to third place.
Marquez Joins Rossi on Seven MotoGP Titles
Marquez needed to finish at least second or stay within seven points of his brother Alex to wrap up the title. Alex Marquez started eighth and crossed the line in sixth, not enough to delay the celebrations.
With this result, Marc Marquez becomes a seven-time MotoGP champion, equalling Valentino Rossi’s premier-class tally, and a nine-time world champion overall. It is his first title since 2019, ending a six-year wait and marking his 126th career podium.
MotoGP 2025 Japanese Grand Prix Race Results:
1) Francesco Bagnaia
2) Marc Marquez
3) Joan Mir
4) Marco Bezzecchi
5) Franco Morbidelli
6) Alex Marquez
7) Raul Fernandez
8) Fabio Quartararo
9) Johann Zarco
10) Fermin Aldeguer
11) Enea Bastianini
12) Brad Binder
13) Fabio Di Giannantonio
14) Miguel Oliveira
15) Somkiat Chantra
16) Maverick Viñales
17) Pedro Acosta
18) Alex Rins.
DNF: Jack Miller, Takaaki Nakagami, Luca Marini.
Marc Marquez’s title celebrations can be watched here.
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