The MotoGP Grand Prix of Malaysia at Sepang is in the books, with Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) taking the victory ahead of Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), while Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) completed the podium. Marco Bezzecchi finished sixth, while Jorge Martin sat out the weekend to focus on his recovery. Read the teams’ post-race PR below.

More, from a press release issued by Ducati Lenovo Team:

Marc Márquez takes a dominant win in the Grand Prix of Malaysia with the Ducati Lenovo Team. Francesco Bagnaia thirteenth.

• Marc claims his 80th victory in the MotoGP class
• Alex Márquez on the podium in third with the Ducati of Gresini Racing MotoGP

Marc Márquez and the Ducati Lenovo Team came out victorious in the Grand Prix of Malaysia, setting the stage for the first match point of the season. Francesco Bagnaia finished the race in thirteenth position.

Márquez took the lead at Turn 1 by overtaking his brother Alex. After a brief exchange of positions between the two during the opening lap, Marc ultimately pulled away in the middle stages of the race before crossing the finish line with a 4.1-second margin over Acosta. Bagnaia, starting from the fourth row, lost several positions in the opening two laps and ultimately finished thirteenth.

As the nineteenth Grand Prix of the season draws to a close, Marc Márquez leads the Riders’ standings with 399 points. Francesco Bagnaia is ninth with 173 points. The Ducati Lenovo Team is currently second in the teams’ standings (572 points), while Ducati sits atop the constructors’ championship (537 points).

The next Grand Prix on the calendar for the Ducati Lenovo Team is scheduled for November 6th to 8th at the Lusail International Circuit in Qatar.

Marc Márquez (#93 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 1st: “The goal for today was to lead from start to finish. Based on the previous sessions, it was clear that my pace was good and I felt comfortable. Luckily, Alex (Márquez) went wide at Turn 4 after trying to overtake me. Apart from that moment, I focused solely on riding at my own pace, and I’m happy with the 34 points scored this weekend. We have reached the point in the season where we need to think about the overall situation. We’re leading the championship and there are very few races left, but the job isn’t done yet and there are still many moments to come.”

Francesco Bagnaia (#63 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 13th: “The race went more or less as expected. Yesterday, in a way, we were helped a little by the rain. Today, from the start, I knew I had a grip issue and tried to manage it as best I could. Even so, after five laps, the goal became simply to bring the bike home. Unfortunately, this is the situation, and I have to accept it. There are three Grands Prix left in the season, and we’ll try to give it our all in every session.”

Luigi Dall’Igna – Ducati Corse General Manager: “Today’s race wasn’t easy, because it was necessary to keep an eye on rear-tyre wear. Marc did an incredible job, and the bike worked well. Alex also had a good race, so I’m happy with the results. There are still three races left and a lot to do, so we must stay focused until the end. We’re leading the championship, that’s true, but we haven’t achieved anything yet, so we’ll keep both feet on the ground.”

More, from a press release issued by Aprilia Racing:

Sixth place for Aprilia Racing in Malaysian Grand Prix. Marco Bezzecchi sixth, Ai Ogura fourth for SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team.

Aprilia Racing ended the weekend at the Petronas Sepang International Circuit with both RS-GP26s on track finishing in the top six of the long race.

Marco Bezzecchi started fifth on the grid and ran fourth for much of the race. In the closing laps, Ai Ogura of the SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team attempted to overtake, resulting in contact between the two RS-GP26 bikes. Bezzecchi lost a few metres to the Japanese rider, and shortly afterwards a small mistake took him wide and cost him another place. The Italian crossed the line sixth and holds third in the riders’ standings on 332 points.

Ai Ogura of the SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team finished fourth. A result that sees Aprilia place the only two RS-GP26 bikes on track inside the top six.

Marco Bezzecchi: “I struggled badly in the race, but there are still positives to take from the weekend. Now we go to Qatar. I’m not sure what to expect, but there’s no shortage of drive and determination. I hope we’ll have an easier time, but if not, we’ll take the same positive approach we had here at Sepang.”

Massimo Rivola – CEO Aprilia Racing: “We knew Sepang would be a difficult track for us. The positive, though, is that the gap was confined to a single sector, which shows us where we need to focus to improve. Marco gave it everything, but by the end of the race he had no tyre left. Jorge tried to work a miracle, but the hard truth is that racing with a fracture of the radius six days earlier was always going to be a tall order. That won’t change anyone’s approach at Aprilia Racing. We’ll keep fighting to the end.”

More, from a press release issued by Tech3:

Double points finish for Tech3 as temperatures soar in Sepang.

Enea Bastianini fought until the very end of the Grand Prix of Malaysia to claim a well-earned fifth place, while Maverick Viñales also added to the Red Bull KTM Tech3 team’s championship points tally, finishing in P14. 

Much like the previous two days, conditions at the Sepang International Circuit for the 19th round of the 2026 MotoGP™ Championship were among the most challenging of the season. Track temperatures had climbed to 55 degrees come the start time of the race at 15:00 MYT (UTC+8), while the humidity stood at 47%.

The 20-lap race also threw up other challenges. The soaring temperatures meant tyre wear was high and needed careful attention, while the track surface was also far from ideal.

Aware he was let down by his start in Saturday’s Sprint, Bastianini worked with his crew ahead of Sunday morning to get a better launch in front of a record-breaking crowd. The hard work paid off as the Italian jumped from seventh to fourth at the first corner before a mistake at Turn 6 dropped him to sixth.

From there, ‘La Bestia’ was unable to run the pace of the lead group of five. But as the laps passed, he gradually gained on Marco Bezzecchi ahead. When his compatriot ran off track at Turn 14 on the final lap, Bastianini was on hand to claim fifth, his second-best Grand Prix result of the season. A successful points-scoring weekend now moves the Italian into the Top 10 of the Riders’ Championship standings.

Starting from a season’s best qualifying of twelfth, Viñales had a tricky start and dropped back to P20 on lap one. But ‘Top Gun’ was determined to make the finish, despite feeling a lack of grip in the hot conditions. The Spaniard continued gaining positions as the race wore on and scored two points from P14 as the chequered flag fell.

There’s little rest for Tech3 after a successful Malaysian Grand Prix. The third round in as many weeks kicks off in just five days’ time with the Grand Prix of Qatar at the Lusail International Circuit running from 6 – 8 November.

Enea Bastianini: “We worked during the night to try something different, and this morning my start was already better in the Warm Up, and we demonstrated it during the race. It was a bit risky to brake on the kerb at Turn 1, but it was the only solution to be close to the top at the end of Turn 1. I was in fourth position at Turn 6, but I braked late and went wide, and from there I lost some positions. I tried to stay with them, but it was complicated. I suffered like yesterday with the front, but I fought a lot during this race, I saved the bike probably 20 times. Anyway, we can be satisfied. It’s been great work, because yesterday I wasn’t confident of doing a great race like that. Turn 14 on the last lap was a bit like Christmas, a small gift. P6 to P5 doesn’t change a lot, but anyway, it’s better. Now we have Qatar, so I’m looking ahead to that.” 

Maverick Viñales: “We managed to finish today and get some points, so that’s a positive. The race was not so bad but overall, I found it hard to get a good feeling on the bike. We just keep trying to analyse, learn and improve with the team. I still haven’t figured out how to ride the bike quite right, because I feel very low grip and it’s so difficult to make a correct line. Over 20 laps it was tough for sure. After a few laps I started to brake a little bit differently, but the shoulder needs load, so it’s what we expected coming into today. I hope I can recover between these two races. Qatar will feel totally different, but maybe it can be a place where I can start to learn a little bit more.”

Nicolas Goyon, Team Manager: “Well, a pretty good result here in Sepang, with a strong P5 in the main race. We knew yesterday, after the disappointing Sprint, that Enea was able to do much better than this, and the work through the night has paid off. Congratulations to Enea, he delivered a solid race with a really great start, where he was already P4 at the first corner, and he fought all through the race with some decent lap times. In the end, it’s P5 and Enea is now inside the Top 10 in the championship, which is ultimately his target. So, good job from Enea’s side.

“On the other half of the garage, I know it’s been a tricky weekend for Maverick. Yesterday he struggled to finish the Sprint, but I’d like to thank him for his effort today. I know he wants more, but at the moment that’s all he can get, and in the end it is P14 and we take these two good points for the championship. We hope that Maverick can fight for higher positions in the near future. Now it’s time for everyone to pack, and we’re going to head to Doha for the next race next week in Qatar.”

More, from a press release issued by BK8 Gresini Team:

Podium for Alex Marquez, Iker Lecuona scores points again.

• RACEDAY

ALEX MARQUEZ 3º

IKER LECUONA 15º

• WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

ALEX MARQUEZ 8º (202)

FERMIN ALDEGUER 10º (125)

IKER LECUONA 23º (11)

• TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP

BK8 GRESINI RACING 5º (333)

Alex Marquez: “I’m very happy to finish on the podium and, above all, to have finished a race that really tested me, especially physically. Unfortunately, it was extremely difficult to cope with two consecutive races, which is why I’ve decided to stop and undergo surgery tomorrow. Otherwise, I would arrive in Qatar without the strength needed to even make it through FP1. There were several possible windows for this operation, and I pushed it as far as I could to complete the overseas tour, but the time has come. Now the goal is to return at full strength for the final two races of the season.”

Iker Lecuona: “Today, the heat was my biggest rival. This definitely isn’t my circuit, but today’s race pushed me to my physical limit. Let’s say it felt like three normal races in one. I’m not a fan of the humidity and the heat, but I gave it my best today. I learned a lot this weekend and I have to be happy with it: it was a positive weekend in terms of my riding, and we also brought home a point for the team.”

More, from a press release issued by Honda HRC Castrol:

Motivated Marini turns weekend around for seventh place as Mir’s Malaysian GP ends early. 

Brutal conditions pushed the riders and their machines to the limit in the 20-lap Malaysian GP, Luca Marini overcoming his physical limitations to earn a solid seventh place.

As ambient temperature pushed towards 40°C from early in the day, there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that Sunday in Sepang would be a demanding affair. Ten short minutes of Warm Up allowed the Honda HRC Castrol team to implement their final changes before the main event of the weekend. A tenth place for Joan Mir and 15th for Luca Marini had the pair confident of again fighting for the top ten, even in the demanding conditions.

Having been left drained of his energy after Saturday’s Sprint, Luca Marini entered Sunday unsure if he would be able to complete the full Grand Prix. Another incredible first lap thrust him into top ten contention and extra motivation provided by memories of the last three years with the Honda factory team spurred him on. Keeping Zarco as an early benchmark, Marini was able to open up a significant gap over the chasing pack and with others fading, the #10 kept his focus and held Di Giannantonio at bay until the end to secure seventh place and nine points. A welcome return to the top ten after complicated weekends in Indonesia and Australia.

He leaves Malaysia 39-points clear of Diogo Moreira in the battle for top Honda in the World Championship standings.

Joan Mir was able to make a much more aggressive start to Sunday and went side-by-side with his Honda HRC Castrol teammate through the first sector. As strong as ever, Mir battled with the likes of Marini, Moreira and Binder for the first eight laps. Unfortunately, his race would end soon after as he returned to the pits due to a change in his physical condition.

There are now only a few days until the Qatar Grand Prix, the Honda HRC Castrol team traveling directly to Doha to begin preparations for Round 20 of the 2026 MotoGP World Championship.

Luca Marini: “Today has been really good when we look at the whole weekend, yesterday after the Sprint I honestly did not know if I would be able to finish this race. I have to say a big thank you to everyone in my crew because they gave me a lot of motivation before the race, thinking about the three years we have spent together – I wanted to give them something to celebrate and match the effort they always show me. Today was a day to remember, even if it is just for seventh place, we did an amazing race in a tough situation. I knew that the first lap would be the most critical, so I went as hard as I could and I found myself with Zarco and kept him as a point of motivation throughout. Now I’ll head back to Italy before Qatar to continue to improve my condition as much as possible.”

Joan Mir: “Coming into this weekend we knew that there would be some challenges and had already agreed that if I started to feel different, I would stop. On lap nine I started to not feel at my 100% and decided to stop to avoid making anything worse. We need to double check everything now and understand our situation because the weekend until Sunday has been really good – even better than we were expecting. It’s a big shame and of course I am frustrated, but I remain focused to work with the team to understand and overcome this situation.”

More, from a press release issued by Monster Energy Yamaha: 

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Battle Heat in Sweltering Sepang Race. 

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Fabio Quartararo and Álex Rins pushed in today’s dry and hot Grand Prix of Malaysia Race. The duo completed the 20-lap contest in 11th and 12th place respectively.

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Fabio Quartararo and Álex Rins had to strike a balance between pushing and tyre management in the 20-lap Grand Prix of Malaysia Race. They negotiated the Sepang International Circuit in 36°C and ultimately took 11th and 12th place respectively.

Quartararo started from P18, held the position in the opening corner to then overtake Jack Miller and Maverick Viñales. Though Iker Lecuona had got through on him on lap 1, he retaliated on lap 2. With Joan Mir retiring, the number 20 next found a way past Francesco Bagnaia on lap 9 and then chased his teammate, who was 1.5s ahead of him. With nobody closely behind, the Frenchman focused on his rhythm and gradually closed the gap to Rins, and a battle between the teammates ensued with two laps to go. Quartararo came out victorious. As two more rivals failed to reach the chequered flag, he secured P11, 25.826s from the winner.

Launching from P17, Rins had a good start. He went around the outside in the first corner and wrapped up the opening lap in P15. He continued his charge on the next lap, overtaking Bagnaia. It allowed the number 42 to latch onto the back of Franco Morbidelli for a while, but he ultimately couldn’t stay with him. As Mir retired, Diogo Moreira crashed on lap 13, and Johann Zarco later also retired from the race, Rins was riding in P11 when he entered a battle with his charging teammate with two laps remaining. Rins finished in P12, 27.063s from first.

Following today’s Race, Quartararo moves up to 14th in the MotoGP World Championship standings with 79 points, while Rins keeps 20th place with 29 points. Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP stay 10th in the Team Championship with 108 points, and Yamaha remain fifth in the Constructor Championship with 105 points.

Alex Rins: “It was really tough, but I gave it my best effort, as always. I started really well, and I recovered some positions. But then I was seeing on the pit board ‘Quartararo 1.6’, then 1 second… I started to ride smoothly, but he caught me. I had a brief chat with him later, and he saw that I was on the limit with the front. I had a big drop of the tyre with 12 laps to go, but I had good fun. It was a tough and physical race, but we did it.”

Fabio Quartararo: “I gave it my maximum, and the race went like expected. I think I improved my feeling a bit compared to Friday, but we were still not quite where we wanted to be.”

More, from a press release issued by Prima Pramac Yamaha:

Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP faces another difficult Sunday in Malaysia.

Jack Miller finished the Malaysian Grand Prix in 16th position after tyre wear and grip issues affected his race, while Augusto Fernandez crashed out on the second lap.

Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP endured another difficult Sunday at the Malaysian Grand Prix, with both riders unable to achieve the results they had hoped for in the sweltering heat of Sepang. In a season that has proved more demanding than expected, the team faced another race in which the challenges encountered throughout the weekend continued to limit its potential.

Augusto Fernandez, standing in for the injured Toprak Razgatlıoğlu for the remainder of the season, saw his race come to an early end after crashing on the second lap. The Yamaha test rider had been looking to gain further valuable experience in race conditions, but the incident brought his Malaysian Grand Prix to a premature conclusion.

Jack Miller, meanwhile, battled in the midfield for much of the 20-lap race. However, the grip issues that had troubled him throughout the weekend, combined with increasing tyre wear in the closing stages, made it difficult to maintain his position. The Australian lost ground over the final laps and eventually crossed the finish line in 16th place.

Jack Miller: “It was a long, tough race. From start to finish, it was more about surviving than thriving. There‘s not a huge amount to say, really. I had a couple of moments early on, and by around lap ten, when I saw the riders ahead pulling away, I could already feel that I was struggling a little more than them. I tried to manage things as best I could, both with my riding and the engine maps, but towards the end I was pretty much a sitting duck and couldn‘t do much more. Tyre wear was definitely a factor. The conditions were among the toughest we‘ve faced, and Turn 1 felt like an ice rink on every lap. The biggest issue for me was the huge difference in grip between the track surface and the kerbs, so you were constantly trying to use the kerbs to your advantage wherever possible. It was a really difficult situation out there.”

Augusto Fernandez: “I made a mistake, and it was my fault. At the beginning, I was close to the other Yamahas, and after the pace we showed yesterday, I knew I could stay with them and try to make some passes. I was behind Iker Lecuona, and because of the engine difference, I was losing time in the corners and then he was able to pull away again on the straight. I wanted to get past him, but it was too early, and I made a mistake. Despite that, I think it was a positive weekend in terms of my riding. I‘m recovering my pace and feeling more comfortable on the bike, so I‘m making good progress. Physically, I felt okay during the race, and I was happy with how I managed the heat throughout the weekend. It‘s a shame I couldn‘t finish the Grand Prix, because completing the full race distance would have been important for rebuilding my physical condition, but I feel I‘m getting there, both physically and mentally, as well as in terms of my riding. I was happy with the Sprint and with the overall progress we made.” 

More, from a press release issued by Castrol Honda HRC: