Marc🐻 Marquez finished third in the 2024 MotoGP Japanese Grand Prix but was just 0.036 seconds away from losing that podium to Enea Bastianini.

Marquez recovered from n🌠inth on the gri🦋d in the sprint to finish third, and did so again on Sunday in the 24-lap grand prix.

The Gresini rider fended off Ducati’s Bastianini in the second half of ൩the race and kept him just out of striking distance to the chequered fla💜g.

The gap between the pair at the ✱finish was 0.536s, but Marquez was actually just 0.036s away from ha🗹ving to give the position to Bastianini.

Marquez𒊎 just exceeded track limits at Turn 4 on the final lap while headin🀅g Bastianini in their battle for third (see below).

On final la🌟ps, if a rider exceeds track limits 🧸by running onto green painted areas they are ordered to drop a position if they have not been able to show a clear disadvantage for going off track.

This app📖lies when a place is being closely contꦆested.

But the guide✃lines for this also stipulate that the drop of a position will only happen if t☂he rider who has exceeded track limits is 0.5s or under ahead of the competitor behind them.

In this case, Marquez was 0.536s clear of Bastianini at the chequered flag a🍎nd was therefore deemed not to have gained a si✱gnificant advantage over Bastianini.

A brief explanation from the stewards pa🐻nel activity report𓄧 said: “For riders closely contesting for a position, if a track limit infraction is made on the last lap (that the stewards determine has affected a race result, whether there is a change of position of not), the rider concerned must show a clear disadvantage.

“The guideline for ‘closely contesting’ is thatꦺ the riders are separated by 0.500s or less at the time of thܫe incident and at the finish line.”

Br⭕ad Binder was also investigated for the same infringeme🎉nt against Marco Bezzecchi, having run beyond track limits at Turn 4 on the last lap.

But because he was 0.869s clear of Bezzecchi, the KTM rider💎 kept sixth position as this was not deemed a ‘closely contested’ moment.

Marquez came from ninth on the grid after his provisional pole lap in qualifying was cancelled for exceeding track liꦦmits.

Marquez felt aggrieved after the session because the notification of this penalty came after the chequered flag, leaving him without any time to try for a leg꧒al time.

This was later explaine๊d by race director Mike Webb as being the result of a system glitch that meant the automatic registration of the cancelled lap was not possible and notification was delayed as a result.