TOKYO, Sept 25 — Ducati’s Jack Miller claimed his first win of the season with a blistering display at the Japanese Grand Prix in Motegi on Sunday, as Fabio Quartararo extended his lead atop the world championship standings despite finishing eighth.

Australian Miller finished 3.409 seconds ahead of Red Bull KTM’s Brad Binder, who snatched second place from Pramac Ducati’s Jorge Martin with a late overtake.

Frenchman Quartararo extended his championship lead to 18 points from 10 with four races remaining, as his closest rival Francesco Bagnaia crashed out on the last lap.

Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro’s chances of winning a first championship also took a massive blow after he was forced to pit with a problem before the race started and ended in 16th.

Honda’s six-times MotoGP champion Marc Marquez claimed his first pole in three years on Saturday but was unable to hold on to his advantage for long and was overtaken on the first lap, eventually finishing fourth. — Reuters