The Motul Grand Prix of Japan certainly threw up its fair share of excitement and drama, with Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) mastering the mixed conditions at Motegi to take back-to-back victories. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) and Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) also collected podiums and though just over half the laps were completed before it was called to a halt, there was plenty to dissect post-race.

Check out some of the biggest Talking Points from the Japanese GP below!

“We need to keep dreaming”

It’s very much game on in the title race after the weekend at Motegi. Just three points separate the top two heading to Indonesia, and Martin is aiming to keep the dream alive as Bagnaia looks to handle the pressure.

Martin: “We are close in the Championship but we’ve arrived in this situation thanks to our mentality, to keep pushing, to keep pressure on him, trying to win races and enjoying the moment.. and we need to keep dreaming until the end of the season.”

Bagnaia: “Jorge is in his momentum. There are just three points between us now. But it will be interesting to fight against him in this last part of the season”

“Missing out on points due to a technicality is very frustrating”

While Martin took victory, there was disappointment on the other side of the Pramac garage. Johann Zarco was running in P6 before crashing out moments before the red flag was waved. The Frenchman returned to his box with the hope of lining up on the grid if a restart were to take place, but an illegal entry through pitlane meant he was unable to do so, and resulted in him missing out on Championship points. 

"I'm extremely disappointed with how the race turned out: the crash right before the red flag due to aquaplaning, bringing the bike back to the pits without crossing the pit lane entry line, even though I was just five meters to the right... it's driving me insane. Missing out on sixth place points due to a technicality in the rules is very frustrating."

“A romantic podium”

Marc Marquez made his long-awaited return to the top three on a Sunday race at Motegi, reaching podium #101 in MotoGP™. Since embarking on the Asian leg of the Championship, the eight-time World Champion has seen an uptick in fortunes on track, but he is adamant that there are still major issues to address.

“India and here are stop and go. That’s why I can take risks. We will arrive in Mandalika and there are corners where you need to use the banking, the edge grip, the traction… and it’s there where we are losing a lot.

“Even with this, we must enjoy the good moments. India was a good weekend. Here too. Let’s keep going till the end of the season and see if we can keep going this way.”

Rumours continue to swirl regarding his future too, and says that recent results wouldn’t have any bearing on his decision: “I have a clever mentality, and I know what needs to happen for one thing to happen or the other. We can say today’s podium was a very romantic one.”

“A massive respect”

Marquez also paid tribute to the top two, Bagnaia and Martin, in the title race, after the two battled hard for victory in extremely difficult conditions.

“[The were] amazing. When you are fighting for the Championship in these conditions, I know what it is like, and it’s a massive respect. They did a very good race, they were fighting and they had this extra concertation and extra push. It was nice to see the battle between these two guys.”

“My greatest weekend in MotoGP so far!”

It proved a memorable weekend for Gresini Racing’s Fabio Di Giannantonio. Qualifying sixth on the grid is his fourth best in the class, and his best of the campaign so far. He then backed it up with two fine performances, first recording a PB result of P8 in the Sprint, and then a joint best P8 in the Grand Prix race. Post-race, he triumphantly declared: “It has been my greatest weekend in MotoGP so far!”