Marquez wins Japanese sprint, closes on Martin

Marc Marquez won the Japanese Grand Prix sprint on October 3, moving to within seven points of championship leader Jorge Martin after a track-limits penalty dropped Martin from second to third. Diogo Moreira was promoted to second, while Enea Bastianini, who had crossed the line in third, was also demoted for a final-lap track-limits violation. Marquez took the lead from Martin early in the race and held it to the finish. Reports said he controlled the sprint after passing Martin in the opening corners. The victory was described as Marquez’s 22nd career sprint win. The post-race order left Martin seven points ahead of Marquez in the standings. Martin appeared set to finish second but came under pressure late in the sprint as his rear tyre degraded, according to race accounts. He and Bastianini were penalized for exceeding track limits on the final lap, elevating Moreira to second. The reports agree on the seven-point championship margin, though one account gave a different figure for how many points Marquez gained on Martin in the sprint. They do not reconcile that calculation, so the standings gap is the clearest reported measure of their position.