MotoGP 2026
Round 19 – Sepang – Qualifying
Alex Marquez claimed his first MotoGP pole position in 420 days with a stunning final lap at Sepang, edging championship-leading brother Marc Marquez by just 0.070 seconds in a frantic conclusion to Malaysian Grand Prix qualifying.
Pedro Acosta completed the front row, only 0.084 seconds from pole, while Ai Ogura and Marco Bezzecchi ensured that Aprilia remained firmly in the fight.
However, the biggest championship development came before Q2 even began, when Jorge Martin’s determined attempt to race through the pain of a fractured wrist finally came to an end.
With only ten points separating Marc Marquez and Martin in the World Championship, the Aprilia rider’s withdrawal opens the door for Marc to considerably extend his advantage through this afternoon’s Sprint and Sunday’s Grand Prix.
But the younger Marquez brother appears determined to complicate proceedings.
Alex’s 1m56.493s secured his first pole since the 2025 Catalan Grand Prix, 420 days earlier, and was just 0.156 seconds outside the outright Sepang lap record established by Francesco Bagnaia in 2024.
Martin’s comeback ends as Bastianini tops FP2
The big news on Saturday morning was that Martin was back on track for FP2, having elected to rest his damaged wrist after withdrawing from Friday afternoon’s Practice session.
The Spaniard completed a number of short runs aboard his Aprilia RS-GP, gradually working towards a more competitive pace but clearly unable to exert the force required under braking.
His best lap was a 2m00.359s, leaving him 21st and 1.843 seconds behind Enea Bastianini, who topped the session with a 1m58.516s.
Alex Marquez was second on 1m58.804s, ahead of Bezzecchi, Ogura and Acosta.
Conditions remained dry, with an ambient temperature of 31 degrees, a track temperature of 38 degrees and humidity at 69 per cent.
Martin completed eight laps across three short runs. While his physical condition appeared somewhat improved from Friday, the fundamental problem remained his inability to load the injured wrist sufficiently under heavy braking.
His condition had already been a significant concern during Friday’s running, and his enormous Turn Twelve front-end save had provided a particularly stark reminder of the risks involved.
Halfway through Q1, MotoGP Medical Director Dr Angel Charte met with Martin in the Aprilia Racing garage. Following discussions between the rider, medical personnel and the team, the decision was made that Martin would take no further part in the Malaysian Grand Prix weekend.
Paolo Bonora – Aprilia Racing Team Manager
“His feeling was better, to be honest, compared to yesterday, but he was not able to force during the braking. So we decided all together to not continue and to keep focused on the Doha GP.”
The plan is now to concentrate on recovery in the hope that Martin will be sufficiently fit to return for next weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix.
The decision is an enormous setback to his championship challenge. He had already escaped Phillip Island relatively lightly in points terms after Sunday’s Grand Prix was cancelled, despite having been declared unfit following his Sprint crash.
That reprieve may ultimately have only delayed the inevitable damage to his title prospects.
Marc Marquez now has the opportunity to increase his advantage substantially before the championship arrives in Qatar.
Zarco and Bagnaia survive Q1
Conditions remained warm and dry when Q1 commenced, with the ambient temperature climbing to 32 degrees, the circuit at 41 degrees and humidity at 66 per cent.
Johann Zarco established the early benchmark with a 1m57.341s on his first flying lap, just over four minutes into the session.
That time would remain unbeaten.
Francesco Bagnaia was also immediately competitive, recording a 1m57.561s on his opening attack, good enough for second as the riders returned to their garages for adjustments and fresh tyres.
The final runs brought improvements elsewhere, but nobody displaced the leading pair.
Bagnaia trimmed another nine thousandths from his earlier time to record a 1m57.552s, confirming his progression alongside Zarco.
Luca Marini came agonisingly close to spoiling the Ducati rider’s morning, finishing third with a 1m57.623s, just 0.071 seconds behind Bagnaia.
Diogo Moreira was fourth on 1m57.733s, followed by Brad Binder and Jack Miller.
The Australian improved to 1m58.148s on his fifth lap, leaving him sixth in Q1 and destined for sixteenth on the starting grid.
Alex Rins was only 0.007 seconds slower than Miller, with Fabio Quartararo eighth, Iker Lecuona ninth and Augusto Fernandez tenth.
For Yamaha, the outcome was particularly disappointing. All four of its riders were eliminated in Q1, leaving Miller as its highest qualifier, with Rins and Quartararo alongside him on the sixth row.
Marquez brothers immediately into the 1m56s
Alex Marquez wasted little time making his intentions clear when Q2 got underway.
The Gresini Ducati rider recorded a 1m56.697s on his first flying lap, moving straight to the top of the timing screens.
Marc Marquez responded with a 1m56.964s, putting the brothers first and second during the opening exchanges.
Acosta was third quickest early on, ahead of Bastianini and Bezzecchi, as the leading contenders began establishing their positions.
With nine minutes remaining, both Marquez brothers returned to the pit lane to prepare for their final time attacks, along with most of the field.
The riders progressing from Q1, Zarco and Bagnaia, had yet to set their first Q2 benchmarks.
Bagnaia began his flying lap as the session passed the halfway mark and was immediately inside the leading time through the opening sector. He lost a little ground through sector two but remained within a tenth of Alex Marquez’s early benchmark. However, the third sector proved costly, with Bagnaia losing around half a second before conceding further time on the run to the line. His 1m57.287s would eventually leave him tenth. The Italian subsequently made a mistake as he prepared to begin another attempt, striking his windscreen and breaking it in frustration as his opportunity to improve slipped away.
Aprilia strikes before Marc responds
The final minutes brought an extraordinary sequence of changing positions as riders began producing red timing sectors.
Bezzecchi was among the first to threaten Alex Marquez’s benchmark, running around two-tenths inside the leading time through the third split.
The Italian crossed the line with a 1m56.668s to move into provisional pole position.
His advantage lasted only moments.
Ogura was also on a superb lap and stopped the clocks at 1m56.617s, moving ahead of Bezzecchi to make it an Aprilia one-two.
It was another impressive performance from the Japanese rider, whose Friday afternoon pace had already demonstrated the strength of the Trackhouse Aprilia around Sepang.
Marc Marquez was also on a quick lap, running inside the benchmark through the opening sectors.
However, a mistake through the third sector, involving a rear-end slide followed by a front-end save, threatened to derail his effort.
The championship leader managed to gather the Ducati back together and still emerged with a 1m56.563s to take provisional pole.
Immediately behind him, Acosta was benefiting from the reference provided by Marquez.
The KTM rider recorded a 1m56.577s, just 0.014 seconds behind Marc, moving into second and temporarily securing a Marquez-Acosta front-row pairing.
But Alex Marquez was not finished.
The younger brother was inside the leading benchmark by eight thousandths at the third timing split and stretched that advantage further through the final sector.
He crossed the line with a 1m56.493s to snatch pole from Marc by 0.070 seconds.
With the chequered flag out and the remaining riders completing their final laps, nobody could improve sufficiently to challenge the leading trio.
The Marquez brothers had secured first and second, with Acosta completing a front row covered by just 0.084 seconds.
Alex Marquez ends his 420-day pole drought
For Alex Marquez, the result was particularly satisfying.
The defending Malaysian Grand Prix winner had arrived at Sepang with an impressive record at the circuit, having also topped February’s pre-season test.
Yet his 2026 campaign has not delivered the same consistency that carried him to runner-up honours in last year’s World Championship.
His pole position was therefore an important reminder of his potential, and the Spaniard admitted that his qualifying performance had exceeded even his own expectations.
Alex Marquez – BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP
“I wasn’t expecting to make that lap time, honestly speaking. But already the first time attack was really, really good for me. Everything was working really good on the bike.”
Alex explained that adjustments made during Saturday morning’s running had improved his feeling with the Ducati, particularly on used tyres, and provided the confidence to push harder in qualifying.
His eventual pole lap combined the first three sectors particularly effectively, with a theoretical ideal lap of 1m56.456s suggesting there was another 0.037 seconds available.
Marc Marquez’s own theoretical best was a 1m56.540s, only 0.023 seconds faster than his actual lap.
The championship leader was understandably disappointed to miss pole but recognised that his younger brother had simply produced the better performance.
Marc Marquez – Ducati Lenovo Team
“We did our maximum today, but Alex was faster than us. For me, it was a very good lap. Target was front row.”
Marc also wished Martin a speedy recovery after learning that his championship rival would not participate in the remainder of the Malaysian weekend.
Acosta takes a hard-fought front row
Acosta completed the front row despite continuing to struggle with the front-end feeling aboard his KTM.
The Spaniard admitted that he had deliberately attempted to follow Marc Marquez during both qualifying runs, using the Ducati rider’s lines as a reference despite the differences between their motorcycles.
Acosta’s 1m56.577s was an exceptionally efficient lap, matching his theoretical ideal time exactly.
That left him only 0.014 seconds behind Marc and just 0.084 seconds from pole.
His performance was all the more impressive considering his concerns about the KTM’s front-end behaviour, with tyre management likely to be a major factor in both the Sprint and Grand Prix.
Ogura heads the second row
Ogura ultimately finished fourth with a 1m56.617s, heading the second row ahead of Bezzecchi and Fabio Di Giannantonio.
The Japanese rider was particularly impressive through Sepang’s second sector, recording the fastest T2 split of anyone in qualifying at 27.855 seconds.
Bezzecchi was fastest through sector three, while Marc Marquez led the opening sector and Acosta topped the final sector.
The fact that four different riders headed the four sectors underlines just how closely matched the leading contenders were.
Bastianini will start seventh after posting a 1m56.970s, the Tech3 KTM rider also recording the highest speed of qualifying at 341.7 km/h.
Zarco will line up eighth after successfully progressing through Q1, with Franco Morbidelli completing row three.
Bagnaia heads the fourth row in tenth, followed by Joan Mir and Maverick Viñales.
Marini, Moreira and Binder fill row five, while Miller, Rins and Quartararo comprise an all-Yamaha sixth row.
A championship opportunity for Marc Marquez
It is difficult to imagine a more significant qualifying morning for the MotoGP championship.
Martin’s withdrawal means Marc Marquez will face the remainder of the Malaysian weekend without his closest title rival.
The opportunity to establish a considerably larger advantage is obvious, but converting that opportunity into points will still require overcoming some formidable opposition.
Alex Marquez has repeatedly demonstrated his strength at Sepang, and this latest pole position has only reinforced his status as a serious contender for victory.
Acosta has shown that he can remain with the leading Ducatis over a single lap, while Ogura and Bezzecchi have emerged as genuine threats aboard the Aprilias.
The front row is covered by less than a tenth of a second, and the first five riders are separated by only 0.175 seconds.
With tropical weather always capable of complicating proceedings at Sepang, the Malaysian Sprint promises another intriguing chapter in what has already been an extraordinary championship campaign.
2026 Malaysian MotoGP. Qualifying Results
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Time/Gap | Speed |
| 1 | A. Marquez | Duc | 1m56.493 | 339.6 |
| 2 | M. Marquez | Duc | +0.070 | 339.6 |
| 3 | P. Acosta | KTM | +0.084 | 339.6 |
| 4 | A. Ogura | Apr | +0.124 | 338.5 |
| 5 | M. Bezzecchi | Apr | +0.175 | 336.4 |
| 6 | F. Di Giannantonio | Duc | +0.349 | 335.4 |
| 7 | E. Bastianini | KTM | +0.477 | 341.7 |
| 8 | J. Zarco | Hon | +0.523 | 334.3 |
| 9 | F. Morbidelli | Duc | +0.775 | 336.4 |
| 10 | F. Bagnaia | Duc | +0.794 | 338.5 |
| 11 | J. Mir | Hon | +0.850 | 340.6 |
| 12 | M. Viñales | KTM | +1.244 | 336.4 |
| Q1 – Did not progress to Q2 | ||||
| 13 | L. Marini | Hon | 1m57.623 | 334.3 |
| 14 | D. Moreira | Hon | 1m57.733 | 337.5 |
| 15 | B. Binder | KTM | 1m58.127 | 337.5 |
| 16 | J. Miller | Yam | 1m58.148 | 331.2 |
| 17 | A. Rins | Yam | 1m58.155 | 332.3 |
| 18 | F. Quartararo | Yam | 1m58.219 | 334.3 |
| 19 | I. Lecuona | Duc | 1m58.456 | 334.3 |
| 20 | A. Fernandez | Yam | 1m58.855 | 331.2 |
Q2 gaps are relative to Alex Marquez’s pole lap of 1m56.493s.
Q1 riders are shown with their actual Q1 lap times, rather than gaps calculated across separate sessions.
Jorge Martin withdrew before qualifying, and Raul Fernandez was declared unfit on Friday.
MotoGP Calendar
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Rnd
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Date
|
Event
|
Circuit
|
| 1 |
01 Mar
|
Thai
|
Chang International Circuit
|
| 2 |
22 Mar
|
Brazil*
|
Autodromo Internacional Ayrton Senna
|
| 3 |
29 Mar
|
US
|
Circuit of the Americas
|
| 4 |
26 Apr
|
Spain**
|
Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto
|
| 5 |
10 May
|
France
|
Le Mans
|
| 6 |
17 May
|
Catalonia
|
Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya
|
| 7 |
31 May
|
Italy
|
Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello
|
| 8 |
07 Jun
|
Hungary
|
Balaton Park Circuit
|
| 9 |
21 Jun
|
Czech
|
Automotodrom Brno
|
| 10 |
28 Jun
|
Netherlands
|
TT Circuit Assen
|
| 11 |
12 Jul
|
Germany
|
Sachsenring
|
| 12 |
09 Aug
|
GB
|
Silverstone Circuit
|
| 13 |
30 Aug
|
Aragon
|
MotorLand Aragon
|
| 14 |
13 Sep
|
San Marino
|
Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli
|
| 15 |
20 Sep
|
Austria
|
Red Bull Ring-Spielberg
|
| 16 |
04 Oct
|
Japan
|
Mobility Resort Motegi
|
| 17 |
11 Oct
|
Indonesia
|
Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit
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| 18 |
25 Oct
|
Australia
|
Phillip Island
|
| 19 |
01 Nov
|
Malaysia
|
Petronas Sepang International Circuit
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| 20 |
08 Nov
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Qatar
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Lusail International Circuit
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| 21 |
22 Nov
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Portugal
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Autodromo Internacional do Algarve
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| 22 |
29 Nov
|
Valencia
|
Circuit Ricardo Tormo
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