Marc Márquez is already close to the Moto GP title.

BarcelonaThe wait since 2019 has been reduced to just 24 hours. If Marc Márquez loses six points or less to his brother Àlex in the feature race of the Japanese Grand Prix tomorrow, Sunday, he will be MotoGP world champion for the seventh time in his career. This Saturday, Marc did his homework in the sprint race with a second place behind Pecco Bagnaia in the Ducati one-two. Saturday was worse for Àlex, who could only manage tenth.

Ducati boss Davide Tardozzi said before the sprint race that today was Marc's turn to have fun, "and tomorrow will be the time to think about the World Championship." But his rivals didn't make it easy for him. The Cervera rider, who started third, lost a position at the start, overtaken by Pedro Acosta. Àlex also had a poor start, starting eighth and dropping to tenth. The two Aprilias had even worse luck. Jorge Martín, the reigning world champion, overshot his braking position at the first corner and took out his teammate Marco Bezzecchi. Martín required medical attention for shoulder pain.

Bagnaia enjoyed his most enjoyable race of the season. He held onto the lead at the start and easily increased the gap over his pursuers. The battle raged between second and fourth place, with Pedro Acosta, a surprising Joan Mir, and Marc Márquez taking center stage. The Palma de Mallorca rider, riding his Honda, made things difficult for the World Championship leader. But Márquez finally managed to overtake him and move into third with four laps remaining in the race.

Behind him, Àlex struggled constantly and even lost the battle with local rider Ai Ogura for ninth place. Marc's performance was looking increasingly positive, and the icing on the cake came when he moved into second place by overtaking Pedro Acosta with three laps remaining. It was already too late to attempt an attack on Bagnaia, who had a lead of more than two seconds, but Marc could be more than satisfied. The Cava will surely start tomorrow in Motegi and Cervera.