MILLER’S WET-BIKE STOP FAILS AS MÁRQUEZ WINS AT SEPANG AND BAGNAIA SLIPS TO 13TH

The 2026 Malaysian Grand Prix proved pivotal in the championship, but Jorge Martin withdrew after practice because pain in his right wrist left him with too little chance of a worthwhile result.

Marc Márquez made the most of the opportunity in Saturday’s sprint, finishing second behind KTM’s Pedro Acosta and ahead of Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi. The result gave Márquez an ideal chance to strengthen his title position in Sunday’s race. Alex Márquez, the fastest qualifier, had led the sprint before crashing, leaving him with unfinished business at Sepang.

Márquez started Sunday from second and took the lead from his brother at Turn 1. Alex briefly got back ahead at Turn 4, but Marc passed him again under braking and began to pull away. Acosta, who had dropped to fifth at the start, recovered to third on the opening lap and passed Alex on lap 10. He then chased Márquez, but the Ducati rider held on to win by more than four seconds, with Acosta second. It was Márquez’s 80th premier-class victory and extended his championship advantage by 34 points to 44, with three meetings remaining. He can clinch his eighth title in Qatar.

“I tried to stay focused and gave the maximum from the first practice,” Márquez said. He explained that managing the rear tyre in the opening laps was crucial: “Alex probably used his a little too much because he had to defend his position. I was able to build a gap.” He said the race had gone perfectly, though it felt long and left him exhausted. Márquez said he would keep pushing and remain focused, adding that Marco Bezzecchi would be a rider to watch in Qatar and Portimão.

Acosta said Alex’s early speed made passing difficult, particularly because the Gresini rider was faster on the straight. “We did our best. Alex was very fast at the beginning,” he said. Despite another second place, Acosta was pleased for the KTM team and described the season’s finish as strong.

Alex Márquez said his priority after crashing from the sprint lead was to finish Sunday’s race and bring home a good result. He admitted he had worried Marc and Acosta might be faster, but kept pace early before yielding to Acosta, who made a strong move at Turn 9. “I’m glad I was able to finish it like that,” he said.

The Gresini rider then revealed he would undergo surgery in Spain the following day, aiming to return at Portimão. He has had shoulder problems since his Barcelona crash and said three consecutive races had proved too much. The operation will remove metal from his collarbone and address inflammation. “I practically have no muscles left in that area, and I need to take care of it now,” he said. Alex also declined to comment when asked about the controversial Qatar Grand Prix. He gained 16 points on fellow Spaniard Raul Fernandez in Malaysia but remained 39 points behind him in the standings.

Enea Bastianini finished fifth, becoming the second-best KTM rider behind Acosta. Starting seventh, he surged to fourth and then third, but lost places after he and Ai Ogura ran wide at Turn 6. He said an overnight change had improved his starts, though braking over the Turn 1 kerbs was risky. Bastianini struggled with the front tyre and said he felt close to crashing repeatedly. He passed Bezzecchi at Turn 14 on the final lap after the Aprilia rider made a mistake. “It was a little gift,” Bastianini said, while noting that third would have been better.

Bezzecchi finished sixth after starting fifth, a marked improvement on his previous Malaysian visit, when he had failed to reach Q2. He said the result was disappointing after the sprint, but added that “we have made a huge step forward” compared with the previous year. He briefly moved up to fourth and was faster than Márquez early on, but front-tyre temperature became a problem. Bezzecchi said he attacked early and passed Alex, but knew his charge was over once Alex reclaimed the place. Ogura later passed him in a close contest; Bezzecchi accepted that the Japanese rider was faster, though he felt contact had been avoidable. He then lost sixth to Bastianini. Bezzecchi said he had slowed his corner entries to protect the front tyre, but that approach damaged the rear tyre late in the race.

The result left Bezzecchi 67 points behind Márquez with three rounds remaining. “As long as there is a mathematical chance of the title, we will fight,” he said, acknowledging that avoiding poor results was essential and that the task would be very difficult.

Francesco Bagnaia, Márquez’s Ducati Lenovo team-mate, endured another difficult Sunday, finishing 13th after taking sixth in Saturday’s sprint from 10th on the grid. He said the Grand Prix unfolded as expected, and that rain had helped in the sprint. On Sunday, he tried to preserve the rear tyre, but said it was spent after five laps and he had to focus on reaching the finish. “I couldn’t really open the throttle on any lap,” he said, describing a final lap of 2:05.1 as astonishing given his past strength at Sepang. After winning the Malaysian sprint the previous year, he blamed the difference on his motorcycle and summed up his aim for the season’s remainder in one word: “Survive!”

Bagnaia said riders had received most of the security assurances they requested ahead of Qatar, though some matters remained unresolved. He expected the event to proceed as a normal race weekend, saying: “We’ll put on a big smile and ride.”