Martin (3rd) after being demoted: “I don’t think I touched it”

On Saturday afternoon (Motegi local time), everything was still going to plan for Jorge Martín. In Q2, the Aprilia works rider secured pole position with a lap record of 1:42.371 minutes on his RS-GP. Marc Marquez (Ducati) was unable to match this and had to settle for second on the grid, whilst Pedro Acosta (KTM) completed the front row.

Sprint start: Marc Marquez with better acceleration

For Martin, the advantage of pole position lasted only until the first braking zone. He got off to a good start, but Marc Marquez braked later into Turn 1, moved in on the inside alongside the Aprilia and took the lead. After Alex Marquez (Gresini Ducati) had overtaken Acosta and Fabio Di Giannantonio (VR46 Ducati) behind him, the two Spaniards pulled away from the field. Initially, the Aprilia rider was still able to keep up with Marc Marquez, but the latter gradually managed to pull away from Martin.

A minor disaster for Martin: a disintegrating rear tyre and a penalty

In the closing stages, the battle for second place became a nail-biter. TV footage showed severe chattering on the rear wheel, with the rear end of the Aprilia bobbing and vibrating through every corner. Martin’s final lap was 1.3 seconds slower than that of the blisteringly fast Diogo Moreira (LCR Honda), who, together with Enea Bastianini (KTM Tech3), had closed the gap to within striking distance. “After seven or eight laps, my rear tyre started to wear out on the left-hand side,” Martin explained. “In the last two laps, I couldn’t even open the throttle fully on the straights.”

Martin held on to second place at the finish, but had strayed onto the green tarmac at the exit of Turn 11 on the back straight during the final lap. The regulations state that any rider who exceeds the track limits on the final lap is demoted by one position. Martin dropped back to third place, and Enea Bastianini (KTM) also lost his podium finish as a result. The big beneficiary was Moreira, who, by finishing second, became the first Brazilian to reach the podium in the premier class since Alex Barros in 2007. He said he had been focused on not touching the green tarmac on the final lap: “I don’t think I touched it. I’ll have a look at the footage.” The slow-motion replay proved the race directors right.

Instead of nine, Martin was awarded just seven points, whilst Marquez picked up twelve for his victory. Martin leads the World Championship with 313 points, now just seven points ahead of Marquez (306); before the sprint, the gap had been twelve. “It’s Aprilia’s first podium at Motegi, so we’re happy,” emphasised Martin.

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04.10.2026 - 01:35