Marc Márquez clinched victory this Sunday at the Malaysian Grand Prix, the 19th round of the 2026 MotoGP season. The Ducati rider seized control of the race right at the start at the Sepang circuit by overtaking Álex Márquez, and from the midway point of the 20-lap contest he began to pull away from the rest of the field, ultimately taking the win.
The runner-up spot went to Pedro Acosta, the KTM rider who fought hard with Álex Márquez but couldn’t keep pace with Marc Márquez. The podium was completed by Álex Márquez, third aboard a Gresini Ducati. Ai Ogura finished fourth on an Aprilia from Trackhouse, while Enea Bastianini ended the top five aboard a KTM run by Tech3.
Marco Bezzecchi concluded the race in sixth place on an Aprilia, just ahead of Luca Marini, seventh on a Honda. Fabio Di Giannantonio finished eighth aboard a VR46 Ducati, while Brad Binder of KTM claimed ninth. The top-10 was completed by Franco Morbidelli, Di Giannantonio’s teammate.
The sole Brazilian on the grid, Diogo Moreira, retired from Sunday’s Sepang race. The LCR Honda rider was running tenth when he crashed on lap 14 of the 20-lap event. He attempted to rejoin the track but pulled into the pits shortly after.
The MotoGP schedule continues next Sunday with the Qatar Grand Prix, set to take place at the Lusail circuit.
See how the race unfolded
Marc Márquez took the lead of the event at the very first corner by overtaking Álex Márquez, while Ai Ogura moved up to third place, with Enea Bastianini in fourth and Pedro Acosta in fifth. Further back, Diogo Moreira occupied 13th position. Early in the opening laps, the Tech3 rider found himself boxed in and dropped to sixth, while Marco Bezzecchi entered the top five.
Acosta advanced to third by passing Ogura, who was also overtaken by Bezzecchi. On the third lap, Augusto Fernández crashed at turn 14 and retired from the race. Álex Márquez came under pressure from the Spaniard on the KTM, who battled for second place, preventing Marc Márquez from pulling away at the front.
In the mid-pack, Johann Zarco began pressuring Bastianini for sixth position on the fifth lap, while back, Moreira overtook Brad Binder to claim 11th on lap 6. Up front, Márquez gradually increased his lead, while Álex Márquez held second, still under threat from Acosta.
On lap nine, Marc Márquez extended his advantage to one second over his brother and the Gresini rider. With Acosta unable to overtake, Bezzecchi, in fourth, closed the gap to him and Álex Márquez. Joan Mir, meanwhile, pitted the Honda and retired from the Sepang race. On lap ten, Acosta finally took second place, while Marc Márquez opened a 1.8-second cushion.
With 12 laps completed, Márquez widened his lead to two seconds over Acosta, while Álex Márquez remained third, pressured by Bezzecchi and Ogura. Diogo Moreira was tenth at that moment. Two laps later, the lone Brazilian on the grid crashed at turn 12, rejoining in 18th place and retiring shortly after.
As Márquez extended his advantage to more than three seconds ahead of Acosta, the KTM rider managed to close to two seconds ahead of Álex Márquez. Zarco, meanwhile, lost ground due to issues, dropping to 14th. In the same stretch, he launched an attack on Bezzecchi, but the Italian Bezzecchi on the Aprilia recovered to fourth a corner later.
After a brush with Bezzecchi and nearly going down, Ogura finally passed him, moving into fourth. The race rolled on and Márquez crossed the line in first, with a lead of more than four seconds over Acosta, who finished second. Álex Márquez completed the podium in third.
