Francesco Bagnaia closes Jorge Martin gap further with Japan Sprint win after Pedro Acosta crashes from lead

Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) won the Japanese Sprint race around Motegi after a heartbreaking crash saw Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) lose out on his maiden victory in the premier class.

Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) finished in second place as the fastest rider on track, securing a one-two finish for the Ducati Lenovo Team.

Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) earned his eighth sprint podium of the year, climbing from ninth to third in another excellent performance in Japan.

Championship leader Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) settled for fourth place as he struggled to make up time on the top three running on the soft tyres.

Rookie sensation Acosta was running in first but pushed too far over the limit and crashed out in the final three laps, gifting Bagnaia those crucial points in the title fight.

The race got off to a rocky start with Acosta losing his pole position off the line to Bagnaia who launched his Ducati ahead of the rookie rider.

Both Marc Marquez and Martin also got off to great starts alongside Bagnaia, climbing to sixth and fifth place respectively on the opening lap.

Bagnaia led the pack around the Mobility Resort Motegi, until Lap 3 when the rookie rider made a bold move on Bagnaia around a lethal corner to retake the lead.

The championship leader fell victim to one of Marquez’s classic overtakes, as the eight-time world champion dove down the inside of Martin to snatch fifth place.

After being overtaken by Marquez, Martin failed to make up the pace to the top three who pulled away from the rest of the pack and settled for a fourth-place finish.

In a flash at Turn 7 on Lap 9, Acosta lost control of his front wheel and crashed out of the sprint race after sitting in a comfortable lead ahead of Bagnaia.

Bagnaia inherited the lead then cruised to victory despite some last minute chaos between Marquez and Bastianini which almost ruined his race.

While Bagnaia sat comfortably in the lead, Marquez and Bastianini sparked a fierce battle for second place but it was the Ducati Lenovo rider who came out on top.

Bastianini slipped up in the final two laps, leaving space for Marquez to try and squeeze through the gap – the eight-time world champion did so momentarily, but was shut down just a corner later.

With many attempts to get through, Marquez could not get past what must have felt like a wall of Ducati Lenovo riders and instead settled for third place.

Bastianini’s second place finish cemented his fight for third in the Riders’ Standings with Marquez, edging out the eight-time world champion once again.

Marquez’s third place finish earned him his eighth sprint podium of the season, in a weekend where he almost snagged pole position but fell to ninth due to track limits.

Marquez said: “Yeah, it was a very good Saturday, at the time of the attack I had the speed, so we were okay.

“We know what happened and we focused on the Sprint race and I knew that I had the pace.

“In fact, in the last laps I was pushing and catching them and it was a good fight with Enea.

“Super nice fight, we enjoyed another podium and the target is that.”

Enea Bastianini put in an excellent performance around the Mobility Resort Motegi to clinch second place after holding off a charging Marc Marquez.

Bastianini jumped from fourth to second in the opening stages of the sprint race, launching ahead of Brad Binder and Maverick Vinales before setting his eyes on the lead.

The Ducati Lenovo rider looked to be in a battle with his teammate Francesco Bagnaia before Marc Marquez pulled up and caused chaos on track.

A fierce battle ensued in the sprint’s closing stages as the Italian made a mistake heading into Turn 9, leaving space for Marquez to squeeze through.

Marquez forced his way around the Ducati Lenovo rider but swiftly lost it as fast as he had found it, as Bastianini came back in full force the next corner.

Holding off every single attack, Bastianini was able to triumph and take second place in a fierce battle on track to edge Marquez in the Riders’ Standings.

1/12 BAGNAIA USURPS POLE FROM ACOSTA – Bagnaia took pole position from Pedro Acosta with a great launch off the line to lead the Sprint race.

3/12 ACOSTA SNATCHES BACK THE LEAD – Acosta launched his GASGAS towards the corner, outbreaking Bagnaia to retake his lead.

4/12 MARQUEZ ON MARTIN – Marc Marquez dove down the inside of Jorge Martin to snatch fifth place from the championship leader as he picked up a track limit warning.

9/12 – ACOSTA CRASHES OUT OF THE LEAD – In a flash at Turn 7, Pedro Acosta loses his bike and crashes out of the lead during the Japanese Sprint race.

12/12 BAGNAIA CLAIMS JAPANESE SPRINT VICTORY – Francesco Bagnaia wins the Japanese Sprint race after a heartbreaking crash saw Pedro Acosta out of the race.