Japanese MotoGP sprint podium “not a real result” warns Diogo Moreira

Despite sealing his first MotoGP podium, Diogo Moreira believes Sunday’s Japanese grand prix will be much tougher than the sprint race.

Moreira’s maiden MotoGP podium came as a result of Jorge Martin and Enea Bastianini, both of whom crossed the line ahead of the 22-year-old in second and third place, being demoted one position for exceeding track limits on the final lap.

And while Moreira admitted post-race that his P2 finish was not a “real result”, his pace would argue differently. 

At various stages of the 12-lap sprint Moreira was the fastest rider in the field, even quicker than eventual race winner Marc Marquez.

Of course, Marquez could, and most likely was, controlling his pace throughout. However, Moreira was still very quick.

And in the closing stages Moreira was consistently faster than both Martin and Tech3’s Bastianini, as he closed in on both riders.

Had there been an extra lap, Moreira might have jumped at least one of the two riders ahead of him, if not both given his pace advantage.

But all of that said, Moreira has cautioned against expectations being too high for Sunday’s race, saying: “We know, I know, it’s not a real result for us. 

“Today was the day, [and] I would say [that] we are lucky because in turn three there was the crash with Pedro [Acosta], Alex [Marquez] and someone else. 

“In the end, I just tried to catch this front group and find this flow on the track. 

“Lap-by-lap I felt more comfortable and I was pushing more. At the end of the last lap I was already there, and with maybe one more lap… I don’t know. 

“One lap more [and] I was maybe fighting for the podium. On the last lap I saw that they touched the green, and in that moment I realised I was on the podium. For me it is important and for Honda it is a very good result.”

Moreira admitted he could see Martin beginning to struggle with his rear tyre in the closing laps, which caused a steep drop in pace for the 2024 world champion. 

“I saw a bit with the tyre,” added the Brazilian rider. “But also myself. On the last two laps I was already on the limit but the lap time was there. I was riding fast.”

When speaking about his expecations for the longer race on Sunday, Moreira doubled down on his realistic podium chances. 

“We will see tomorrow with the medium [rear tyre],” said the Honda rider. “Like I said, it is not a real result. 

“Tomorrow I am going to fight for the top eight or top six. We will see. But we never know. 

“I will just try to enjoy the race tomorrow, because the race today I enjoyed more with every lap.”