Unveiling the Stars: Japanese GP Highlights and Rider Ratings from Motegi’s Thrilling 2024 MotoGP

Evaluations of Japanese MotoGP Riders: Impressive Marks for Low-Key Ducati Competitor

Crash.net's assessment of the lineup from the 2024 MotoGP Grand Prix in Japan.

Francesco Bagnaia achieved a significant victory by winning twice at the Japanese Grand Prix, narrowing the gap in the MotoGP championship standings behind Jorge Martin.

On Friday, the Ducati factory rider started with impressive speed and confirmed his earlier predictions by proving to be the fastest during the race pace in Sunday’s 24-lap grand prix.

Bagnaia's start-to-finish victory comes on the heels of his triumph in the sprint race, where luck played a part following Pedro Acosta's accident while leading. Bagnaia seized the opportunity during Martin's unusual downturn and secured the win when it mattered most.

The Pramac team racer struggled to find a good rhythm on his Ducati during Friday's sessions and suffered a fall during the qualifying round, which resulted in him starting from 11th place on the grid. Despite these setbacks, he bounced back to secure fourth place in the sprint race and achieved a second-place finish in the grand prix.

However, he was forced to admit defeat to Bagnaia at Motegi, resulting in an 11-point shift in the championship standings that worked in the Italian's favor.

Marc Marquez shrugged off a disappointing lap annulment that pushed him from the leading position to ninth during qualifying, but still managed to secure a podium finish in both races. Meanwhile, Acosta's chances of securing his first MotoGP victory vanished two times at Motegi.

Crash.net has released its rankings for all the riders following the completion of the 2024 MotoGP Japanese Grand Prix.

Francesco Bagnaia – 8.5

Following a challenging weekend in Indonesia, the current world champion needed to make a strong comeback in Japan, and he did just that. Bagnaia was back in top form, securing second place in qualifying and positioning himself perfectly to take advantage when Acosta crashed while leading the sprint. Given the speed of the Tech3 newcomer before his fall, finishing second was likely the best outcome Bagnaia could have anticipated in that event. Acosta's second crash deprived fans of a full display of Bagnaia's competitiveness. Nonetheless, Bagnaia skillfully navigated the race ahead of him on Sunday, maintaining a solid pace against Martin and fending off a late challenge to secure his eighth grand prix victory of the season and his fourth sprint/GP double.

Jorge Martin – 8

The Japanese Grand Prix was set to challenge Martin's determination following a tough Friday where he showed speed but lacked comfort. A costly mistake in qualifying indicated he hadn't made the necessary improvements, resulting in an 11th-place start—his worst since starting 12th in Austria last year. In the sprint race, he managed to finish fourth, but this was influenced by intermittent rain, which required a more cautious strategy. In the main race, Martin returned to form, moving up to second place within four laps. Although he put pressure on Bagnaia in the final stages, a late scare led him to abandon the chase and settle for a solid 20 points. A better starting position might have improved his chances against Bagnaia, as he had to use his rear tire more aggressively to make up ground early on. Despite his lead in the championship shrinking back to 10 points, his consistent performance remains his greatest strength in the 2024 title race.

Marc Marquez – 8.5

During Friday's session at the Japanese Grand Prix, Marc Marquez experienced a familiar challenge reminiscent of the first half of the season. He expressed some dissatisfaction with his performance on the Gresini-operated GP23. Despite its disadvantages compared to the GP24, Marquez managed to set a provisional lap record and secure a pole position in Q2, although this was later annulled due to him exceeding the track limits. This resulted in him starting from ninth on the grid. Nevertheless, he skillfully climbed to third place in both races, a feat he has accomplished numerous times in 2024. The subsequent GP23 trailed by 17 seconds, highlighting Marquez's ability to push the older, less advanced Ducati to its limits.

Enea Bastianini – 8

The anticipated high tyre wear during the Japanese GP was expected to favor Bastianini more than it actually did. After securing a solid fourth position in qualifying, he spent too much time overtaking KTM's Brad Binder during the grand prix, which hindered his ability to contend for the win. This delay also resulted in him missing out on a podium finish to Marquez, despite a strong effort towards the end. Bastianini finished second in the sprint race and nearly caught up to a slowing Bagnaia on the final lap, showcasing the consistency from Saturday to Sunday that he has displayed in recent races. This performance keeps him ahead in his close battle with Marquez for third place in the standings.

Franco Morbidelli – 7.5

Although Morbidelli's results in Japan fell short of the expectations for a GP24 rider this season, a pattern observed throughout much of the year, he managed to quietly deliver a strong performance for Pramac over the weekend. He secured sixth place in qualifying, finished fifth in the sprint race, and maintained that position in the grand prix. However, a notable issue was his 13.6-second gap from the leading group of four. Despite this, it's important to note that recently, only Acosta has posed a real challenge to that leading quartet, so assessing Morbidelli’s performance in the Japanese GP solely on that gap would be unjust.

Brad Binder – 7

The South African rider might have received a slightly higher score if he had completed the sprint race, but a technical problem prevented him from taking advantage of his strong fifth-place qualifying position to stay in the podium contention he had fought his way into early on. During the grand prix, Binder couldn't keep up with KTM's top performer, Acosta, in terms of speed. However, he maximized his performance to secure a sixth-place finish, particularly as his rear tire significantly degraded in the final laps. Overall, this was a better weekend for Binder, but he still needs to improve to match Acosta's pace.

Marco Bezzecchi – 6

Rider Marco Bezzecchi, representing the VR46 team, has shown improvement in the latter part of the season while riding the GP23. However, he has faced difficulties in achieving the strong performances that previously positioned him as a title contender on the GP22. Despite being outperformed in qualifying by his teammate, who was not at peak fitness, Bezzecchi did not score any points in the sprint but managed to secure a respectable seventh place in the main race.

Fabio Di Giannantonio – 6.5

Despite dealing with an arm injury, Di Giannantonio tackled one of the most challenging tracks impressively on the VR46 Ducati. He secured seventh place on the starting grid, outpacing his teammate Bezzecchi, and finished sixth in the sprint race. During the grand prix, he engaged in a close competition within the latter half of the top 10 positions, ultimately finishing eighth and just slightly more than a second behind his teammate.

Alex Espargaro – 5

The experienced MotoGP rider is not receiving the farewell he might have desired, as the Aprilia continues to be a challenging motorcycle to handle in the latter part of 2024. Struggling with grip issues throughout the weekend, Espargaro was eliminated in the first qualifying session and fell during the sprint race. Despite this, he managed to finish ninth in the main race and was the highest-ranking RS-GP rider. However, his teammate Maverick Vinales demonstrated glimpses of the bike's potential, which Espargaro has not been able to replicate.

Jack Miller received a rating of 5.5. During the Japanese Grand Prix, the issues Miller has been experiencing with rear chatter on his KTM bike were clearly demonstrated. He believed this publicly validated the difficulties he has been vocal about throughout much of the 2024 season. Despite a challenging 14th place in qualifying, Miller managed to climb to eighth in the sprint race and was running in the top five during the early laps of the grand prix. However, he eventually dropped to 10th place. Miller is finding it more difficult to adapt to the RC16 compared to his teammates Binder and Acosta, and the race in Japan highlighted these challenges further.

Johann Zarco – 4.5

After a stellar performance in Indonesia, Johann Zarco faced a much less successful weekend on the LCR Honda. He qualified 16th, which was the best among Honda riders, but his performance took a hit when he collided with his teammate Takaaki Nakagami at Turn 2 during the sprint race, causing Nakagami to crash. Zarco was justifiably penalized for this incident. In the grand prix, he was set to finish behind Fabio Quartararo, but managed to secure 11th place when Quartararo's Yamaha ran out of fuel at the last corner. Although he was the leading Honda rider, his margin was just 1.5 seconds.

Fabio Quartararo – 6.5

The Japanese Grand Prix posed significant challenges for Yamaha, as the M1 bike's rear grip issues were ill-suited to the stop-and-go nature of the Motegi circuit. Even a new chassis couldn't come to Quartararo's aid. He performed commendably by advancing from Q1, but the bike's limitations capped his progress at 12th place. He maintained this position during the sprint race, and in the main event, he was set to finish 11th before running out of fuel at the final corner, allowing Zarco to overtake him. Despite these hurdles, Quartararo remains far ahead of his Yamaha teammate, Alex Rins, as he continues to make the best of a difficult situation.

Takaaki Nakagami – 5.5

During his last full-time race event in Japan, Nakagami performed admirably, leaving with a sense of pride. Although he just missed securing a direct spot in Q2 after practice, he ended up qualifying in a disappointing 21st position. An incident involving his teammate during the sprint was beyond his control, but he managed to deliver a commendable performance by finishing 13th, just 1.5 seconds behind the leading Honda rider, Zarco.

Luca Marini – 5

During the race weekend in Honda's home turf, Marini had a relatively low-key performance. He qualified in 20th position, just behind his teammate from the factory team, Joan Mir. In the sprint race, however, Marini managed to finish as the highest-placed Honda rider in 13th. In the main grand prix, Marini crossed the finish line in 14th place, trailing Takaaki Nakagami by less than two seconds and maintaining a pace similar to other Honda Racing Corporation competitors. Although opting for a softer tire instead of a medium compound might have offered some advantage, Marini's performance was quite respectable for the Italian rider.

Raul Fernandez – 5

The Trackhouse team member narrowly missed securing a spot in Q2 by just 0.117 seconds, resulting in a 13th place starting position. He managed to climb to 11th place during the sprint race, despite the Aprilia's lackluster performance. However, his main race turned out to be more disappointing, as he only managed to claim the last available point by finishing 15th. Although he is becoming more comfortable with the RS-GP, the improved results he hoped for were not achieved in Japan.

Alex Rins – 4

Rins' performance during Yamaha's home race weekend didn't offer much to talk about. He consistently trailed behind his teammate, Quartararo, managing only to qualify in 19th place and ending up in 16th in both races. At the finish line, he was over eight seconds behind Quartararo, revealing the difficulty he faced. His initially better grip on the rear of the M1 was compromised when the medium Michelin tires wore out.

Remy Gardner – 3

Remy Gardner stepped in to take the Yamaha wildcard position, which became available after test rider Cal Crutchlow had to step down due to persistent injury issues. Gardner ended up qualifying in the last position and also finished last in both races. Considering his limited experience on the bike and his hectic schedule in the World Superbike series recently, there were not many expectations placed on the Australian rider.

Pedro Acosta – 6

Following the Indonesian Grand Prix, Pedro Acosta reinforced his statement that he is nearing his first victory in MotoGP. Acosta demonstrated strong potential from Friday due to his impressive long-distance speed, and although his maiden pole position in the category was partly a result of Marc Marquez's lap being canceled at the last minute, it was a well-deserved achievement. He was on track to secure his first sprint race victory until he made an error and crashed on the ninth lap of twelve. Unfortunately, he made a similar mistake early in the main race while holding second place. Acosta appeared visibly disappointed, and it's important to remember that this is a typical phase for a newcomer. However, in three out of the last four grand prix events, Acosta has lost promising results because of his missteps. He is still gaining experience, but he must work on minimizing these errors.

Maverick Vinales – 5.5

For several races now, Vinales has been expressing confidence in the untapped potential of the RS-GP package, suggesting that with some adjustments, strong performances are just around the corner. In Japan, he showcased his skills by securing a third-place position in qualifying. However, his race was hindered by an issue with his front start device, causing him to drop to ninth place in the sprint. A similarly poor start in the main race led to another decline in his position, and he found himself outside the top 10 before crashing on lap 12. While he demonstrated impressive speed, his lack of consistency remains a recurring challenge for Vinales.

Augusto Fernandez – 3

The Tech3 squad implemented significant modifications to Fernandez's KTM motorcycle in Japan. These adjustments have partially restored the sensation he had been lacking in 2024. However, it hasn't been sufficient to significantly improve his performance, as the Spanish rider finished 15th in the sprint and unfortunately crashed during the grand prix.

Lorenzo Savadori – 3.5

The role of Aprilia's test rider, Lorenzo Savadori, is not primarily to deliver impressive performances while temporarily filling in for Miguel Oliveira at Trackhouse. Instead, his presence on the track serves as a chance for the Noale team to conduct testing under competitive conditions. Savadori managed to outperform his fellow test rider, Gardner, during the sprint. However, a technical problem led to his early exit from the grand prix.

Alex Marquez – 2

During the Japan weekend, Alex Marquez displayed decent speed, managing to secure 10th place in qualifying and finishing seventh in the sprint race. However, a careless first-lap collision with Joan Mir resulted in him receiving our lowest score for the weekend.

Joan Mir – 2.5

Joan Mir’s choice to extend his contract with Honda for an additional two years is perplexing, especially following weekends like the one in Japan, where he experienced two consecutive DNFs for the second time in a row. Although his crash on Sunday wasn’t his fault and he came close to being the top Honda rider in qualifying, Mir understands that he won’t contribute to the development of the RC213V by spending time in the gravel.

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