Marc Marquez Crowned 2018 MotoGP World Champion After Japan Grand Prix Win

Repsol Honda star Marc Marquez was crowned 2018 MotoGP champion after winning the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday at Motegi to clinch his fifth world title.

Andrea Dovizioso came into Sunday's race trailing Marquez by 77 points, and any hope of a comeback wilted when he fell on the penultimate lap while attempting to keep pace with the eventual champion.

Britain's Cal Crutchlow took advantage late on and finished second, while Alex Rins, whose previous podium place came all the way back at the Dutch Grand Prix in July, finished third, per MotoGP:

Marquez took first place after a tough fight from the second row of Sunday's grid, with Dovizioso having wrapped up pole in qualification.

With only three races remaining this season, no rider can overcome the 102-point gap that separates him from his nearest competition, per Michelin Motorsport:

The pressure was on Marquez to seal victory on Sunday, but his advantage over his peers meant that he could afford to take risks other drivers could not.

Rins had an impressive race to third. As did eventual fourth-placed finisher Valentino Rossi. However, Italian rider Andrea Iannone pushed his hand too much and spun out at Turn 10 with only 10 laps left, as Fox Sports shared (U.S. only):

It was fitting that Marquez underwent at least some sort of test and wasn't allowed one of his more routine victories when everything was on the line, with Dovizoso making a battle of it for the most part.

He led for the majority but crucially slipped behind with only a few laps remaining. The desperation to claw back the lead resulted in Dozisozo's exit with a little more than a lap left:

Marquez deserved praise for his patience, and BT Sport's punditry team heralded the 25-year-old in the immediate aftermath:

The Spaniard has become just the ninth rider in history win win three world titles in succession and just the fourth to win five or more.

His journey began in the lower ranks, and Marquez's trophy cabinet looks even more impressive when accounting for his victories at 125cc and Moto2 as well:

There was no more fitting location for Honda's biggest star, who continues to argue his case as perhaps being the best of all time, to bring them yet another world title.