Martin boosts title lead as Bagnaia battles back, Bastianini blunders

'The Martinator' looked unstoppable, claiming the win by 1.404s and crucially taking a further 25 points in his Championship charge. Martin extended his Championship advantage from 12 to 21 points after Saturday's blunder.

The Spaniard denied Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) victory after an impressive ride from the #31. Acosta's second-place finish promotes the rookie to fifth in the standings and places him as the top Pierer Mobility rider.

Indian fans can catch all the action from MotoGP 2024 - Motul Grand Prix of Japan - Qualifying Race and Qualifying & Sprint Race live on Eurosport from 7:15 hrs and 9:15 hrs (07:15 am and 09:15 am IST) onwards on Saturday, October 5.

Meanwhile, Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) took third in an impressive day for the reigning World Champion, who recovered to the podium after a difficult start. The #1 remains second in the title chase and has 21 points to find.

At the start, Martin made the dream launch, earning the #89 clear track with Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) in chase. Meanwhile, Bagnaia struggled on the opening lap, dropping to fourth before Bezzecchi and Morbidelli found their way through - dropping the Italian to sixth.

Meanwhile, it was a dramatic first lap, with Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP), Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) and Luca Marini (Repsol Honda Team) crashing at Turn 2. The FIM MotoGP Stewards investigated the incident, with no further action taken.

Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) was unable to repeat his magical Sprint launch, but the #93 still made ground in the opening stages. Marc Marquez started in 12th and was soon in seventh - setting sights on Bagnaia.

At the front, Martin set a red-hot pace, setting the fastest lap of the Grand Prix and extending his gap to 1.333s. Meanwhile, Acosta was on the attack, leaping into second position ahead of Morbidelli in an impressive move for the rookie.

Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) had an intense fight with Marc Marquez in the first nine laps. However, everything unfolded for the Italian, losing the front at the technical Turn 10 - dropping Di Giannantonio to 17th. Meanwhile, Marc Marquez' Championship chances suffered a huge blow, with technical issues dropping the #93 out of contention on Lap 12.

The battle for the podium began with Morbidelli, Bastianini, Bezzecchi and Bagnaia locked together on the circuit. Bastianini tried to overtake on Lap 16 before the key move came on Lap 17 - promoting 'The Beast' to third. It was an incredible pace from Bastianini, edging closer at every sector to the leader.

Bastianini's rhythm was sensational, setting the fastest lap before a crash on the entry to Turn 1 on lap 21 - rider OK. It was a massive blow for the #23, dropping over 70 points behind Martin in the Championship as just 12 riders remained in the Indonesian Grand Prix.

Bagnaia's momentum built, picking off Bezzecchi on Lap 22 before the move came for third place on Lap 23 - demoting Morbidelli to fourth. Acosta was a further three seconds up the road, a tough task for even a two-time MotoGP World Champion.

In the closing stages, Martin had a two-second advantage, controlling the pace and the race at the front. The #89 was unstoppable on the final lap, leading the charge and storming to victory by 1.404s over rookie Acosta. Meanwhile, Bagnaia took a respectful third, bagging some points which could prove to be crucial.

Fourth place was taken by Morbidelli, with the Italian showing a continuing to his impressive form. The #21 claimed the bragging rights over Bezzecchi, who rounded out the top five spots as Maverick Vinales (Aprilia Racing) crossed the line a further 4.558s behind in sixth and ended the day as the top Aprilia rider. Meanwhile, Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) pulled off another stunning ride, finishing in seventh for the third GP in a row, beating Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) to the line.

Meanwhile, Johann Zarco landed a ninth-place finish on an incredible day for the CASTROL Honda LCR squad, with the Frenchman finishing ahead of Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse Racing), who took the final spot inside the top 10. Further back, Takaaki Nakagami (IDEMITSU Honda LCR) and Alex Rins (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) were the final finishers in 11th and 12th in an attritional day.

After an unbelievable weekend in Indonesia as we head to the iconic Mobility Resort Motegi for the Motul Grand Prix of Japan, with the Championship battle in full flow, make sure you join us as the world's most exciting sport returns in just one week! (ANI)