The 32-year-old won his first MotoGP rider title since 2019 after finishing second to Ducati teammate Francesco Bagnaia at Motegi.
Released on September 28, 2025
Ducati’s Mark Marquez won his seventh MotoGP Championship at the Japanese Grand Prix, and since 2019 he has won his first championship after taking an unattackable lead at the World Championships in five rounds.
Marquez was required to score three or more points for his brother and title contender Grecini Lace Alex by the end of the weekend, finishing second in Sunday’s race to win the title with teammate Francesco Bagnaia.
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Honda’s Joanne Mir finished third and Alex finished sixth, giving Mark a 201-point lead over his brothers. Alex first approached Mark, blessing him, and gave him a warm embrace when they stopped.
Mark held his head in his hand after he crossed the line and the magnitude of accomplishment hit him, the Spaniard screamed.
Six Years Waiting During the Championship
Marquez then stopped in front of the big screen, shedding tears in her eyes, watching a montage of the struggles of the past six years.
The Corner Crown was completed when I added a name etched to silver plaque to a cylindrical motogp trophy known as the “Tower of the Champions.”
“It’s impossible to even talk… I just want to enjoy the moment, but it was difficult and it was extremely difficult, but now I’m in peace with myself,” Marquez shed tears.
“I made a big mistake in my career and I’ll come back too early (from surgery) and then I’ll fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, and then I’ve won again!
Ducati’s pole sitter and Saturday’s sprint winner Bagnaia have gotten off to a strong start, and two laps later he exempts KTM’s Pedroa Costa more than once, with Marquez slotting behind his Spanish compatriots in third place.
Bugnier in control
By lap 7, Bagnaia was in comfortable control at the lead, but Marquez seemed to struggle to match Acosta’s pace, and Mill gave him the opportunity to challenge him to third place.
Marquez finally found his way when he pushed past Acosta into the slipstream to overtake him on lap 11, but he stared at the 4-second gap with his teammate Bagnaia.
With 11 laps remaining, Acosta struggled with grip, and Mir came in third as the 2020 champions chased the unusual podium finish, which retired from 10 races this season.
Ducati Padoc had some heart-stopping moments late in the race when Bagnaia’s bike began to smoke as it began to close rapidly, but the Italians were able to eventually nurse his bike to a checkered flag.
“I don’t want to be in the spotlight from Mark. He deserves the spotlight today,” said Bagnaia, who was the MotoGP champion twice in 2022 and 2023.
“But anyway, I’m happy. It’s a bit embarrassing that it’s just arrived (late of the season)… I hope it continues like this.
