Pedro Acosta wins MotoGP Malaysia sprint as Marc Márquez extends title lead

Acosta wins the Sepang sprint

Pedro Acosta (KTM) won the sprint race of the Malaysian Grand Prix, the 19th round of the championship, on Saturday, 31 October. Marc Márquez (Ducati) took second and Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia) third, with Ai Ogura (Aprilia) fourth. The ten-lap race ran in changing conditions and under stifling heat. It turned on the third lap, when pole sitter Alex Márquez (Ducati) lost control of his bike at turn 14 and crashed, which left Ogura in front. Acosta passed Ogura three laps from the finish and crossed the line first, his second sprint victory according to Europa Press.

Qualifying and Martín's withdrawal

Alex Márquez set the fastest time in qualifying at 1'56"493, 0.070 seconds ahead of his brother Marc, while Acosta, Ogura and Bezzecchi completed the top five. Dani Holgado (Kalex) and Máximo Quiles (KTM) took the Moto2 and Moto3 poles. Jorge Martín (Aprilia) arrived in Sepang with a fractured wrist from a fall in the Australian sprint and did not complete prequalifying on Friday, 30 October. He withdrew from the weekend after the second free practice session, and Aprilia team manager Paolo Bonora said Martín could not exert the necessary force on the bike during braking. Martín told Sky Sport that he had not been effective on the bike and did not have full control of it, so he chose to rest and gain a recovery day before Qatar. He said the title was moving further away and that he would return to Spain to assess his condition before the Qatar round.

Márquez on risk and Ogura

Marc Márquez, who finished second, said his first priority had been never to lead. He cited Ducati's earlier warning about these conditions and his own falls at Aragón in 2014 and at Jerez in 2026. He told Dazn that chasing 12 points carried too much risk when nine points were the reward, a balance he judged insufficient.

“The priority number one was never to lead, because Ducati had warned me that these conditions could happen.”

Márquez said Ogura had tried to stay ahead of him to protect his own podium, and that he had to attack the Japanese rider to finish ahead of Bezzecchi. On Sunday, he said, his aim is the same: score points without risking a crash.

“There are few races left, but many moments. So anything can happen.”

Standings and Sunday's race

After the sprint, Márquez leads the riders' standings with 374 points, 19 ahead of Jorge Martín on 355 and 52 ahead of Bezzecchi on 322, according to Adnkronos. Acosta is fourth on 275 points, with Ogura fifth on 265.

Marc Márquez374

Jorge Martín355

Marco Bezzecchi322

Pedro Acosta275

Ai Ogura265

Marc Márquez

374 points

Jorge Martín

355 points

Marco Bezzecchi

322 points

Pedro Acosta

275 points

Ai Ogura

265 points

Data from the article text

The Grand Prix race is scheduled for Sunday, 1 November. ANSA reports that if Márquez finishes first or second, he would score at least 18 points and could take a first match point for the title at the Qatar round. Martín will evaluate his condition in Spain before the Qatar Grand Prix.