MotoGP, Moto2, and Moto3 teams are heading to Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia this weekend for Round 19 of the 2026 FIM MotoGP World Championship. From October 30 to November 1, the paddock returns to the 3.44-mile (5.54-kilometer) circuit as the overseas campaign enters its final round. Following Jorge Martin’s crash at Phillip Island and with Marco Bezzecchi now 50 points behind Marc Marquez, every point becomes crucial as the championship battles intensify. Below, find the latest team press releases ahead of the Malaysian Grand Prix.
More, from a press release issued by Aprilia Racing:
Aprilia Racing ready for Malaysia challenge.
MotoGP’s flyaway tour continues in Malaysia, at the Petronas Sepang International Circuit, for the nineteenth round of the season.
Jorge Martín will travel to Malaysia despite the non-displaced fracture of the distal radius he sustained during the sprint. The Spaniard is undergoing the prescribed treatment, and his fitness will be assessed over the coming days ahead of the Grand Prix.
Marco Bezzecchi heads to Sepang after taking fourth in the Phillip Island sprint. Sunday’s long race, however, was cancelled because poor visibility prevented the medical helicopter from operating.
The Petronas Sepang International Circuit, some 50 km from Kuala Lumpur, is one of the world championship’s historic venues. At 5,540 metres, it is the second-longest circuit in the championship, with 15 corners: 10 right-handers and five left-handers. It is known for its demanding braking zones, particularly the first and the last, with hard deceleration and a difference of more than 200 km/h between entry and exit speed.
Jorge Martin: I’m getting the treatment I need to recover from the injury and arrive at Sepang in the best possible shape. It’s impossible to make any predictions. We have to assess the situation day by day.
Marco Bezzecchi: I can’t wait to get to Sepang, especially since we couldn’t race at Phillip Island. I’m happy to be going back to a track as fantastic as Sepang. Let’s hope the weather is kind to us and that we can carry on with the work we’re doing.
More, from a press release issued by Honda HRC Castrol:
Mir set for Malaysian GP return alongside Marini.
After retiring from the San Marino GP and missing the four subsequent Grands Prix, Joan Mir is targeting a return to action in Sepang alongside Luce Marini.
The Honda HRC Castrol team will be aiming to be back at full strength for the Malaysian GP, Joan Mir given approval by his medical team to return to action and Luca Marini’s condition improving day-by-day. A circuit with fond memories and past successes, the Sepang International Circuit is the perfect launch pad for a strong final push in 2026.
Ruled unfit in Australia due to a virus, Luca Marini will need to undertake a medical check before his participation in the Malaysian round can be confirmed. Having focused exclusively on his recovery since Friday, the Italian has felt his strength return and is eager to reunite with his team. Sepang has seen the #10 score points consistently with Honda, achieving a best finish of eighth place in 2025 at the 5.5-kilometre-long track. With the cancellation of the Australian round, this weekend is set to be his 200th Grand Prix start.
A welcome return to his Honda RC213V is on the horizon for Joan Mir, the #36 having put in an impressive amount of work behind the scenes to overcome his medical issue. The 2020 MotoGP World Champion is focusing on getting back into the rhythm of a MotoGP weekend, having last ridden the 1,000cc machine on September 13. With thousands of testing miles collected across the years, the Sepang International Circuit is a familiar place for Mir to return as he targets a final flourish of success in his last four races as a Honda HRC rider.
After the wild weather of Phillip Island, the entire MotoGP World Championship will no doubt have their eyes tuned to the sky throughout the weekend looking for the typical Malaysian rainstorms.
Luca Marini: “Unfortunately we couldn’t do more than a couple of laps in Phillip Island and since Friday I have been fully focused on recovering as much as possible. I am starting to feel better and have been able to return to the gym, but a MotoGP bike is always something different. Sepang is a physically demanding circuit with the conditions, certainly it will be a weekend where we change the approach a little bit to make sure we have enough energy for Sunday and a lot also depends on what the weather does. We have to do the medical test before the weekend, but I don’t think it will be a problem.”
Joan Mir:“It hasn’t been an easy period, and I want to thank everyone close to me for helping to keep focused and working towards the end goal. I’ve been able to do some riding with different kinds of bikes in the past week, and the doctors have given me the green light to return. I am really looking forward to seeing the team again and seeing what we can do in these final races of the year. Sepang is a circuit which holds some good memories for me and for us as Honda and I think it’s the correct decision to return at such a familiar track. The most important point of the weekend is to get back on the bike, reconnect with the team and check my feeling.”
More, from a press release issued by Ducati Lenovo Team:
Ducati Lenovo Team faces the Sepang challenge seeking the tenth win in red.
19th race of 2026 with the MotoGP circus flying to the Sepang International Circuit. A demanding track and a scorching, very humid climate that will put everyone to the test. A track where the Desmosedici GP boasts a great tradition with 9 victories: from the first successes with Loris Capirossi (1) in 2005 and the dominance of Casey Stoner (2), to the wins of Andrea Dovizioso (2), up to the recent triumphs of Pecco Bagnaia (2) and Enea Bastianini (1). In 2025, the red bike from Borgo Panigale confirmed expectations with Pecco’s victory on Saturday and Alex Márquez’s (1) victory in Sunday’s GP.
After the Sprint at Phillip Island that allowed him to return to first place in the general standings, Marc Márquez is ready to continue being a key player in a crucial weekend for the Championship. A track very different from the Australian one and weather conditions that need to be managed as best as possible.
Coming off a tough weekend in Australia, Pecco Bagnaia arrives in Malaysia ready to bounce back on one of his favorite overseas circuits, an iconic track where he has always been among the most competitive.
Marc Márquez (#93, Ducati Lenovo Team): “Sepang is a completely different track compared to Phillip Island, and the weather here always makes everything more challenging. Saturday’s race in Australia gave me a great boost, but we must stay focused: the goal is to keep playing a leading role and manage every session and effort as best we can”.
Francesco Bagnaia (#63, Ducati Lenovo Team): “In Australia it wasn’t an easy weekend, but Sepang is one of the overseas tracks I love the most. Here the Desmosedici GP has been able to make the difference, and we have wonderful memories. We will work hard right from Friday to immediately find the right feeling and play our cards over the weekend”.
More, from a press release issued by VR46 Team:
The Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team goes to Sepang International Circuit, where this weekend the Malaysian GP – the penultimate round of the Overseas – will take place.
MotoGP gets ready to face the second back-to-back weekend of the Overseas and this weekend hits the track at the Sepang International Circuit. The Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team is eager to race at the Malaysian GP after the cancellation of Sunday’s race at Phillip Island due to bad weather. Fabio Di Giannantonio and Franco Morbidelli’s goal is to confirm the good feelings and the steps forward in this last part of the Asian races.
Di Giannantonio arrives to Sepang in sixth place in the World Standing with 252 points, and he is ready to replicate the good performances of Australia, where he claimed a Sprint podium. On the Malaysian track, the winter tests usually take place, and this weekend won’t be the first approach of the year. However, Sepang is different compared to Phillip Island, and this will represent a new challenge for Fabio, who got a sixth place in last year’s race as his best result in MotoGP.
Morbidelli has great memories of the Sepang International Circuit, where he claimed two podiums in Moto2: a second place in 2016 and a third place in 2017. The latter result allowed him to be crowned World Champion in the intermediate class. Franco’s best result in MotoGP on the Malaysian track is a fourth place he got both in last year’s Sprint and race. The Italian-Brazilian rider’s goal for the Malaysian GP is to continue making step forward, building on his solid performance on this track.
The Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team will hit the track on Friday for Free Practice sessions, while Qualifying will take place on Saturday at ore 10:50 (local time, +8 UTC). The Sprint will get underway at 3:00 pm (local time, +8 UTC) on Saturday, while the Malaysian GP will conclude on Sunday with the main race, starting exceptionally at 3:00 pm (local time, +8 UTC).
Fabio Di Giannantonio: “We arrive to the Malaysian GP with positivity after the Sprint podium we claimed in Australia. Even if Sunday’s race didn’t take place, the good result of last Saturday gives us a lot of confidence heading to Sepang, despite being a completely different track from Phillip Island. Also, the conditions will be very different because it will be very hot, but it’s a very beautiful track, I like it. In Malaysia, the goal will be to confirm the good feelings, and we aim to have a linear weekend, getting off to a good start right away just as we did so far. It will be a good challenge, and we are eager to go on track.”
Franco Morbidelli: “I look forward to riding at Sepang, which is a very different track from Phillip Island. I like the track a lot and I have good memories: here I won the Moto2 World Title in 2017 and, overall, I’ve always been fast and got good results. This year, we’re not where we want to be yet, and on this track, you need a good feeling to be fast. But we arrive to the Malaysian GP with confidence, and we continue working to be competitive again. So, this weekend’s goal is the Top10 again.”
More, from a press release issued by Monster Energy Yamaha:
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP to Return to Action in Sepang.
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Fabio Quartararo and Álex Rins are determined to push to the limit at the Sepang International Circuit during this weekend’s Grand Prix of Malaysia, Round 19 of the 2026 MotoGP World Championship.
Following the unfortunate cancellation of the race at Phillip Island last Sunday, the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team are eager to start the action again. They have travelled from Australia to Malaysia for Round 19 of the 2026 MotoGP World Championship, held this weekend at the Sepang International Circuit.
Fabio Quartararo holds on to 15th place in the championship standings, and he will be on the attack again this weekend. He has raced at the Sepang circuit eight times (in the Moto3 class in 2016, in Moto2 in 2017 and 2018, and in MotoGP in 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025) and never finished a full-length race outside the top 7. He came close to a podium in 2016, finishing fourth, and in 2018, 2023 and 2025, when he finished fifth. He had his first and only podium finish on Malaysian soil in 2022, when he secured third place despite riding with a hand injury sustained in a crash earlier that weekend.
Álex Rins arrives in Malaysia holding 20th place in the rankings. The Spaniard was disappointed for the fans that the race at Phillip Island didn‘t take place and is keen to make up for it with a good show this weekend. He is looking forward to the Malaysian GP, especially since Sepang historically is a good track for him. He secured second place there in 2013 and third place in 2014 in the Moto3 class, and in the premier class he rode to second place in 2018.
The Sepang International Circuit staged its first Grand Prix in 1999 and has been on the MotoGP calendar ever since. The 5.54 km track has a reputation for providing very exciting racing thanks to a mixture of slow and medium-to-high-speed corners (five left and ten right) and two long straights, the longest measuring 920 m. The circuit is also one of the longest tracks of the MotoGP season, and the riders have to negotiate it in extremely hot and humid conditions, making this GP extra challenging.
The Grand Prix of Malaysia is held in the GMT+8 time zone. FP1 will take place on Friday from 10:45-11:30 local track time and Practice will be held from 15:00-16:00. On Saturday, FP2 will be held from 10:10-10:40, and the qualifying sessions from 10:50-11:30, followed by the 10-lap Sprint at 15:00. On Sunday, Warm Up is held from 10:40-10:50 and the 20-lap Race will start at 15:00.
Fabio Quartararo: “I’m happy to be back in Sepang. It’s a track that I enjoy, and normally the racing there is always interesting. The bike has changed since last year, so it will be important to see where we stand as quickly as possible on Friday. After what happened in Australia, everyone is looking forward to getting back on track and racing again. The Malaysian fans are always very passionate, and I’m excited to see them this weekend.”
Alex Rins: “I’m really looking forward to racing in Sepang. After Phillip Island, all we want is to get back on the bike and put on a good show for the fans – for sure they were all disappointed last weekend. I’ve always enjoyed this track, and I’ve had some good results here in the past. The conditions can be quite tough because of the heat and humidity, but that’s part of the challenge. We’ll work hard from the first session, try to find a good feeling with the bike, and see what we can achieve during the weekend.”
Massimo Meregalli – Team Director: “After an unusual end to the Australian GP weekend, our focus is now fully on Sepang. Historically, this circuit has often suited our package, and it is a track where both Fabio and Álex have achieved strong results in the past. We also have valuable reference data from our previous testing here, although the bike has continued to evolve since then. Sepang is always a demanding venue because of the heat, humidity, and the physical nature of the layout, but it also provides a good benchmark to assess performance. We are motivated to make the most of this weekend.”
More, from a press release issued by Prima Pramac Yamaha:
Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP heads to Malaysia after a missed opportunity in Australia.
After the cancellation of the Australian Grand Prix due to extreme weather, Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP heads straight to Sepang for the Malaysian Grand Prix. Jack Miller arrives looking to build on his strong performance at Phillip Island, while Augusto Fernandez continues his work with the team and aims to regain his race rhythm.
The cancellation of Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix left Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP with a sense of a missed opportunity, particularly for Jack Miller. The Australian had shown strong pace throughout his home Grand Prix weekend, securing fifth on the grid and eighth in the Sprint, matching his best result of the season and scoring his first points in a Saturday race this year. The cancellation denied him the chance to race one last time at his beloved Phillip Island in front of his home fans, making the Sprint result an important memory from his final MotoGP appearance at the iconic venue. The team now turns its attention to Malaysia, where the next round of the championship takes place this weekend.
The Sepang International Circuit presents a different challenge for the YZR-M1. Its 5.543-kilometre layout features 15 corners and two long straights, including a 920-metre main straight, placing a strong emphasis on acceleration, braking stability and top speed. These characteristics could make it a demanding circuit for Yamaha, although Miller has previous experience of competitive results at Sepang, having finished sixth in 2022 and eighth in 2023.
Weather could also play a role in the weekend. Rain showers are common in Malaysia at this time of year, and wet conditions could offer Miller an opportunity to make the most of his strengths. The Australian showed encouraging pace in the wet at Phillip Island and will aim to carry that confidence into the Malaysian round, whatever conditions the team encounters.
For Augusto Fernandez, the priority remains building mileage on the YZR-M1 and getting back into the rhythm of racing. As Yamaha’s test and development rider, he knows the bike well, but each race weekend provides valuable experience working with Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP and adapting to the team’s approach. Sepang is a circuit he already knows, offering a useful opportunity to continue progressing and build confidence ahead of the final rounds of the season.
Jack Miller: “I‘m looking forward to Malaysia. We‘ve done plenty of laps around Sepang over the years, and it‘s a track I enjoy riding. It‘ll also be nice to get back to some warm weather, and hopefully we can have a positive weekend.”
Augusto Fernandez: “I‘m looking forward to Malaysia and to having another opportunity to keep improving with the team. Every lap is important for me at the moment, as I work to get back into the MotoGP race rhythm as quickly as possible. Sepang is a track I already know, which should help me focus on building my feeling with the bike and understanding the package better. We‘ll keep working step by step and make the most of the weekend, whatever the conditions.”
Gino Borsoi – Team Director: “Of course, it‘s a shame for Jack and the whole team that we couldn‘t take part in the race. This was a particularly important occasion for Jack, as it was his final MotoGP Grand Prix at Phillip Island. At least he was able to race in the Sprint, where he delivered his best performance of the season, scored points and put Yamaha inside the top ten. He‘ll take that memory away with him, and it‘s one he truly deserves.
He could probably have achieved even more today, but these are the circumstances we have to accept. The riders‘ safety must always come first, and I believe Race Direction made the right decision.”
