MARQUEZ NEEDS A TOP-TWO FINISH TO KEEP TITLE HOPES ALIVE IN QATAR

Marc Marquez arrived at Sepang’s 2026 Malaysian Grand Prix with a 19-point advantage in the MotoGP title race, as closest challenger Jorge Martin sat out after withdrawing from the event. Martin had attempted to ride just a week after breaking his wrist at Phillip Island, but was unable to continue.

The Sunday race offered Marquez a chance to keep his championship campaign moving towards a decisive moment. He needed to finish first or second to retain a mathematical opportunity to clinch the title at next weekend’s Qatar round. The Ducati rider had finished runner-up to KTM’s Pedro Acosta in Saturday’s damp Sprint, then topped the morning warm-up ahead of the Grand Prix.

Acosta, who started third, had already shown strong pace by taking the Sprint win. Pole-sitter Alex Marquez was looking to recover from a crash while leading that race. The younger Marquez lined up alongside his brother on the front row, with Acosta completing it.

Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi and Trackhouse rider Ai Ogura also had important work to do in the riders’ and constructors’ title battles. Bezzecchi took third in the Sprint, while Ogura led the most laps before slipping back to fourth. Both started on the second row, with Ogura fourth and Bezzecchi fifth.

The grid’s first six places were completed by Fabio Di Giannantonio. Enea Bastianini, Johann Zarco and Franco Morbidelli occupied row three; Francesco Bagnaia, Joan Mir and Maverick Viñales were on row four. Luca Marini, Diogo Moreira and Brad Binder formed row five, followed by Jack Miller, Alex Rins and Fabio Quartararo. Iker Lecuona and Augusto Fernandez were on the seventh row.

Weather remained a concern after the Sprint narrowly avoided a heavy downpour. Forecasts warned of possible thunderstorms during the Grand Prix, scheduled to start at 3pm local time (7am in the UK).