With his second-place performance in the Japanese Grand Prix, Marc Márquez has secured the title of MotoGP world champion. The Spaniard, riding for Ducati, thereby wins his seventh title in the premier class and ninth overall in the MotoGP World Championship, matching Valentino Rossi. No one before him had been able to reclaim the title more than five years after his previous victory in 2019. Francesco Bagnaia dominated the Motegi race, capping off a flawless weekend following his Sprint triumph on Saturday. Despite engine troubles and visible smoke from his Desmosedici, the Turin champion managed the race with class and conviction, securing a victory that erased the memories of a difficult season. Also on the podium was Joan Mir who finished third with Honda, marking his comeback to the top after four years. Marquez's title, however, was never in question: 11 overall victories, 14 triumphs in 17 Sprints, and only two GP setbacks (a retirement at Austin and a 12th at Jerez). These figures rendered all attempts at resistance ineffective, including that of his brother Alex, who placed sixth at Motegi behind Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia) and Franco Morbidelli (Ducati VR46), who finished fourth and fifth, respectively. The Italians had a mixed bag: Bagnaia dominated, while Enea Bastianini and Fabio Di Giannantonio finished 11th and 13th respectively. Luca Marini struggled throughout the race and was forced to retire after only a few laps owing to technical issues.