Three years later and after suffering an ordeal with his battered right arm, Marc Márquez starts again from pole position. The eight-time world champion will occupy the first position on the starting grid this Sunday, September 25, at the Japanese Grand Prix to be held at the Motegi circuit.
Spanish fans will have to get up early to watch the race on the Japanese track, since it will start at 8 am and will be seen on the DAZN streaming platform, in addition to being able to follow minute by minute through the La Vanguardia website.
After overcoming his fourth operation on the humerus and after reappearing in the test in Aragon, the driver from Cervera was the fastest in a qualifying session on Japanese soil marked by rain. "I want to thank all the people who have helped me get back to where I wanted. Let's wait and see what happens in the race," said Márquez after achieving a position that we had enjoyed for 1,071 days.
Frenchman Johann Zarco will start behind the Catalan rider, while the three candidates for the title will start the race from further back positions. The leader of the World Championship, Fabio Quartararo, will start from the ninth painting and the second in the general, Pecco Bagnaia, will start from a discreet twelfth place.
It will be a good opportunity for the third in the championship, Aleix Espargaró, who will start sixth. With five races to go before the end of the season, the French rider from Yamaha, current world champion, leads the fight for the title with a 10-point lead over the Italian from Ducati and 17 over the Catalan from Aprilia.
The last race in Aragón was especially hard for Quartararo, as he did not finish the race. By contrast, Bastianini finished first ahead of Bagnaia and Espargaró. Last season, Maverick Viñales won the race on the Japanese track, while Zarco and Bagnaia completed the podium.
Despite his poor performance in the wet qualifying in Japan, Bagnaia is one of the strongest riders at this point in the season, having gone five races without getting off the podium, four of them on the top step. The transalpine is one of the favorites to win with the permission of Marc Márquez, who seems to be back.
