Marquez Wins Malaysian Grand Prix to Take 44-Point Lead and Close In on Retaining MotoGP Title
Reigning MotoGP champion Marc Marquez won the Malaysian Grand Prix in Sepang on Sunday to move to 399 championship points, 44 ahead of title rival Jorge Martin.
The Ducati rider shot out of the blocks and beat his brother Alex, the pole-sitter, into the opening turn. Alex Marquez quickly regained the lead but ran wide a turn later to hand it back, and his brother made no mistakes from that point on.
It was Marc Marquez's first chequered flag at Sepang since 2018, and he won the race by more than four seconds.
“We did a perfect race, so I'm super, super happy,” the seven-time world champion said. “But my mentality still cannot change. I have to keep focus, keep pushing.”
Saturday's sprint winner Pedro Acosta of KTM finished second, while Gresini's Alex Marquez was third. Acosta stuck to Alex's wheel for several laps before overtaking him at the midway point, but by then the distance to the leader had grown too large to overcome.
Aprilia rider Marco Bezzecchi, an outside contender for the title, finished sixth after being overtaken late by both Trackhouse rider Ai Ogura and Tech3's Enea Bastianini.
Title rival Jorge Martin did not compete after suffering a wrist fracture in a crash at Phillip Island, Australia, last week. The 2024 champion briefly tried to compete in Saturday morning's practice session but was visibly struggling, did not take part in qualifying, and conceded that his title challenge was essentially over.
If Marquez extends his lead to 74 points at next week's Qatar Grand Prix, he could seal an eighth championship title with two rounds remaining in the season.
