Alex Márquez will carry a double Long Lap penalty into Sunday’s Japanese MotoGP after a multi-rider crash on the opening lap of the Motegi Sprint. The decision relates to the incident at Turn 3 and adds a clear complication to the Gresini rider’s main race.

Márquez clipped the rear of Pedro Acosta’s KTM on the approach to Turn 3. The impact sent both riders down, while Fabio Di Giannantonio was taken out in the aftermath. Di Giannantonio was later seen walking into a waiting ambulance.

How the penalty was determined

The FIM Stewards logged the incident at 15:02:42 on 3 October 2026, during the MotoGP Sprint at Turn 3. They classified it as Type MGP-CC5, a category covering the race start or opening lap when an action creates a dangerous situation for multiple riders or causes a crash.

The stewards said a double Long Lap was the appropriate sanction because Márquez had no previous offence in the season. He will serve the penalty in Sunday’s race, adding a significant sporting disadvantage after the Gresini rider’s Sprint ended in the opening-lap incident.