2025 Japanese MotoGP, Motegi - Race Results
Race results from the 2025 Japanese MotoGP at Motegi, round 17 of 22.
Marc Marquez wins his seventh MotoGP title, and ninth world championship, in Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi.
A winner of 11 GPs and 14 Sprints in his debut Ducati Lenovo season, Marc Marquez secured his first world crown since 2019 with a runner-up finish behind team-mate Francesco Bagnaia.
The rejuvenated Bagnaia completed a perfect weekend of pole, Sprint and GP wins by leading every lap - despite intermittent smoke puffing from his Desmosedici in the second half of the grand prix.
Behind them, Marquez’s former team-mate Joan Mir secured a well-deserved debut Honda podium, his first rostrum appearance since 2021 at Suzuki.
A clearly emotional Marquez stopped at the side of the track to watch a special video montage of everything he's been through in the five seasons since his last crown, before celebrating with the phrase "More than a number".
2025 Japanese MotoGP, Motegi - Race Results | ||||
| Pos | Rider | Nat | Team | Time/Diff |
| 1 | Francesco Bagnaia | ITA | Ducati Lenovo (GP25) | 42m 9.312s |
| 2 | Marc Marquez | SPA | Ducati Lenovo (GP25) | +4.196s |
| 3 | Joan Mir | SPA | Honda HRC Castrol (RC213V) | +6.858s |
| 4 | Marco Bezzecchi | ITA | Aprilia Racing (RS-GP25) | +10.128s |
| 5 | Franco Morbidelli | ITA | Pertamina VR46 Ducati (GP24) | +10.421s |
| 6 | Alex Marquez | SPA | BK8 Gresini Ducati (GP24) | +14.544s |
| 7 | Raul Fernandez | SPA | Trackhouse Aprilia (RS-GP25) | +17.588s |
| 8 | Fabio Quartararo | FRA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +21.160s |
| 9 | Johann Zarco | FRA | Castrol Honda LCR (RC213V) | +21.733s |
| 10 | Fermin Aldeguer | SPA | BK8 Gresini Ducati (GP24)* | +23.107s |
| 11 | Enea Bastianini | ITA | Red Bull KTM Tech3 (RC16) | +23.616s |
| 12 | Brad Binder | RSA | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +23.882s |
| 13 | Fabio Di Giannantonio | ITA | Pertamina VR46 Ducati (GP25) | +29.359s |
| 14 | Miguel Oliveira | POR | Pramac Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +30.788s |
| 15 | Somkiat Chantra | THA | Idemitsu Honda LCR (RC213V)* | +30.990s |
| 16 | Maverick Viñales | SPA | Red Bull KTM Tech3 (RC16) | +31.712s |
| 17 | Pedro Acosta | SPA | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +34.157s |
| 18 | Alex Rins | SPA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +34.792s |
| Jack Miller | AUS | Pramac Yamaha (YZR-M1) | DNF | |
| Takaaki Nakagami | JPN | Idemitsu Honda LCR (RC213V) | DNF | |
| Luca Marini | ITA | Honda HRC Castrol (RC213V) | DNF | |
* Rookie
After a poor start, Marquez hugged the inside at Turn 1 and emerged back in third, behind pole starter Bagnaia and Pedro Acosta, with Mir running wide and slotting into fourth.
Marquez, who named Acosta and Mir as the most difficult riders to overtake in the Sprint, again couldn’t make an early pass on the hard braking KTM rider.
Bagnaia built a 3.5s lead by the time Marquez finally got the better of Acosta just before the halfway stage, with Mir, Marco Bezzecchi and Franco Morbidelli also demoting the fading RC16 rider.
Acosta’s challenge later ended when he ran through the gravel at Turn 1.
Marquez had already escaped from the battle behind but couldn’t make an impact on Bagnaia’s lead.
But there was drama when puffs of smoke were seen from the lower right exhaust of Bagnaia’s bike with ten laps to go, promoting anxious faces in the Ducati pits.
The smoking then seemed to stop… only to return with five laps to go, raising the prospect of a black and orange flag even if the GP25 kept going.
Bagnaia seemed unaware of the smoke, while Marquez cut the lead from four to two seconds, but had eyes on a much bigger prize and backed off in the closing laps.
Alex Marquez, who needed to outscore Marc by at least seven points today to keep the celebrations on ice, completed a difficult weekend in sixth.
All riders selected medium compound tyres, front and rear.
Outgoing world champion Jorge Martin and Trackhouse rookie Ai Ogura both missed the grand prix.
Martin fractured his collarbone when he made a ‘serious misjudgement’ under braking for turn one of the Sprint race and collided with Aprilia team-mate Bezzecchi.
Ogura then withdrew from the grand prix due to ongoing pain in the right hand he injured at Misano.
Martin is sure to miss next weekend’s Indonesian round with Ogura’s participation “subject to a review of his progress when the team arrives in Mandalika.”
In this article
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
