MotoGP in the 2026 season is entering its final stretch where the margin for error is almost nonexistent. Before the Motegi event that will launch the Asia and Oceania tour, there are only 12 points separating the championship leader Jorge Martin and Marc Marquez. Pedro Acosta, who has scored 72 points behind, has finished third on the podium in the last three races and won the first MotoGP victory in Austria with Marco Bezzecchi. With five Grand Prix races to be run over the next six weeks, every sprint, every race, and the smallest mistake could change the course of the championship.
Martin and Marquez: A Critical Showdown at Motegi
Martin, who won the sprint race and finished second on Sunday, enters with a 12-point lead over the world champion Marquez to Japan. For Martin, Japan starts under completely different conditions compared to last season. The Spanish rider, who made contact with teammate Marco Bezzecchi in the 2025 Motegi Sprint and broke the neck, will ride onto the track as the championship leader this time. Martin, the winner of the 2023 Japan GP, will seek his second Grand Prix victory in the 2026 season. Marc Marquez is racing as the chasing party, having won the seventh MotoGP world championship last season. The rider of Ducati [bikes/desmosedici-gp] has only reached the podium five times in the Sunday races in 2026, but he won all five of those races. Compared to Martin's consistent scoring performance, Marquez, who has five Sprint victories, is determined by a higher win rate this season. Considering the 12-point gap, this weekend could be a turnaround for the duel between the two leaders.
Bezzecchi is Close, Acosta is Coming Fast
Marco Bezzecchi, in third place in the championship standings, is 42 points behind his teammate Martin. This gap is slightly more than the highest score achievable in a single race and keeps the Aprilia rider in the championship race. However, the most notable rise has come from Pedro Acosta in the last races. The KTM rider has been in the top five in five consecutive races, having finished on the podium in the last three Grand Prix races. Acosta has achieved his first MotoGP victory at the Red Bull Ring; he is 72 points behind Martin in Japan. The momentum Acosta has shown in his recent performances has made him one of the riders to watch in the latter part of the season. The young Spaniard is in a very comfortable position in the championship fight: there is very little to lose and a lot to gain.
Ai Ogura in Focus
Ai Ogura is considered one of the biggest expectations from the home crowd in the Motegi event. The Trackhouse rider is preparing for his race with a strong form graph, having completed both Sprint and main races in Austria. Ogura, who did not participate in the Sunday race of the 2025 Japan GP, expects a good result in the Motegi event this time. Francesco Bagnaia attracts attention with his past performance on track. The Ducati rider won both the Sprint and the Grand Prix in 2025. Although Bagnaia's expectations for repeating last year's success are low, he is not a rider to be ignored due to his history in Japan.
Honda and Yamaha at Home
The Japan Grand Prix will be one of the season's major events for Honda and Yamaha. On the Honda side, Luca Marini is the standout rider for Motegi, while Diogo Moreira will race to return to the top ten. Johann Zarco aims to achieve good points in consecutive second-race weekends. Takaaki Nakagami will compete for Honda with a wildcard. Somkiat Chantra will fill the factory team for Honda instead of Joan Mir, who will be unable to race due to illness. In Yamaha, Fabio Quartararo, Alex Rins, and Jack Miller are competing for points, while the national rider Toprak Razgatlıoğlu Prima Pramac Yamaha aims to return to the points zone in Japan.
Vinales Returns After a Long Break
KTM rider Motegi, a single mistake over five races could change the course of the 2026 MotoGP championship. The Tech3 rider has been unable to race since the German Grand Prix due to a back injury; he will return for the Japan Grand Prix weekend after a controlled ride in the tire test in Austria. Brad Binder, Franco Morbidelli, and Enea Bastianini are among those aiming for a strong start in the final stage of the season. The European races in MotoGP are over, and the decisive part of the championship fight is beginning. With only 12 points separating Martin and Marquez, Bezzecchi is still in contention, and Acosta is coming from behind as one of the hottest riders of the season. Motegi sees Maverick Vinales's move to MotoGP as an important development.
Figures
- Jorge Martin is in first place with 306 points in the 2026 MotoGP season (Aprilia Racing Team).
- Archive: Martin's rise to the top with his race performance (September 27, 2026)
Read the full story at the original source.
Go to sourceCompiled by Şükrü Utku Poyraz
