Marc Marquez admitted to feeling the pressure of the MotoGP World Championship 'on his shoulders' during the Sprint Race.

After qualifying on the front row at the Japanese Grand Prix, it was expected that Marc Marquez would be in the fight for the Sprint Race victory on Saturday afternoon.

However, the Spaniard struggled in the early laps of the Sprint and found himself in fourth place, with his teammate, Francesco Bagnaia, pulling away at the front.

After settling into a rhythm, Marquez was able to pass Joan Mir and Pedro Acosta, who were in third and second at the time. However, he could not catch his teammate and crossed the line in second place.

Marquez later admitted that he had struggled throughout the weekend due to the pressure of the Championship.

"I feel some extra weight, I am not riding smooth or comfortably this weekend," Marquez admitted to MotoGP.com after the Sprint Race.

"It is true that the first time I started riding well was in Qualifying and the Sprint Race, I started riding in a more natural way. But even in the first couple of laps in the Sprint, I felt the extra weight on my shoulders; I was riding stiffer than usual.

"So, we will have to see if tomorrow we can start in a better way."

The eight-time World Champion went on to explain that he has not felt the pressure of a Championship before. But he knows that he will be crowned MotoGP World Champion once again, sooner or later.

"I have not had that feeling, I think I was younger and did not realise what I was doing," he explained.

"I have said it many times, five, six years ago, winning was a normal thing. Now I know that tomorrow can be a big day, if not, it will be next week.

"But it looks like we are getting closer and closer."