MotoGP 2026
Malaysian Grand Prix – Rider and Team Reactions
Marc Marquez took another significant step towards the 2026 MotoGP World Championship with a commanding victory at Sepang, his seventh Grand Prix win of the season and 80th in the premier class, leaving him just nine short of Valentino Rossi’s tally of 89.
Marc now leads Jorge Martin by 44 points, with Marco Bezzecchi a further 23 points behind in third. With three Grands Prix and 111 points still up for grabs, Marquez has his first opportunity to clinch the championship next weekend in Qatar. To seal the crown there, he must gain at least 30 points on Martin and eight on Bezzecchi, or seven on Bezzecchi if he wins Sunday’s Grand Prix.
Pedro Acosta followed Saturday’s Sprint victory with second place on Sunday, matching his runner-up finish at Sepang last year and setting the fastest lap of the race.
Alex Marquez completed the podium, his 20th in MotoGP, ahead of Ai Ogura and Enea Bastianini.
Ducati’s ninth Grand Prix victory of the season also saw the Bologna manufacturer reclaim the lead of the Constructors’ Championship from Aprilia, albeit by just eight points.
A record crowd of 196,542 attended the Malaysian GP weekend.
Sunday’s race was run in punishing heat, with track temperatures reaching 57 degrees and tyre management proving a major factor. Contact between Ogura and Bezzecchi added some late drama, while a number of riders struggled badly with front grip and tyre degradation. Our full Malaysian MotoGP race report covers the action, results and championship standings.
However, attention is already turning towards Qatar, where a potentially much bigger controversy is brewing. Yamaha has announced it will not participate in next weekend’s Grand Prix, citing company-wide travel restrictions relating to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. MotoGP Group has responded sharply, rejecting Yamaha’s justification and warning of contractual and potential sporting consequences, while maintaining that the remainder of the grid intends to race.
Against that backdrop, here is what the MotoGP riders, team management and Michelin had to say following the Malaysian Grand Prix. Riders are listed in finishing order, followed by the non-finishers, team personnel and Michelin.
Quotes
Marc Marquez – 1st – Ducati Lenovo Team
“The goal for today was to lead from start to finish. Based on the previous sessions, it was clear that my pace was good and I felt comfortable. Luckily, Alex (Márquez) went wide at Turn 4 after trying to overtake me. Apart from that moment, I focused solely on riding at my own pace, and I’m happy with the 34 points scored this weekend. We have reached the point in the season where we need to think about the overall situation. We’re leading the championship and there are very few races left, but the job isn’t done yet and there are still many moments to come.”
Pedro Acosta – 2nd – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
“We tried our best. Alex was super-fast in the beginning and it was difficult to make a pass. There was a risk of burning the tires. Anyway, P2 again, and so happy for the boys in the team. We are making a great end to the season. We keep going. We are making good results and this will only help for the future. We’ll try and take the maximum we can from these final three races.”
Alex Marquez – 3rd – BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP
“I’m very happy to finish on the podium and, above all, to have finished a race that really tested me, especially physically. Unfortunately, it was extremely difficult to cope with two consecutive races, which is why I’ve decided to stop and undergo surgery tomorrow. Otherwise, I would arrive in Qatar without the strength needed to even make it through FP1. There were several possible windows for this operation, and I pushed it as far as I could to complete the overseas tour, but the time has come. Now the goal is to return at full strength for the final two races of the season.”
Ai Ogura – 4th – SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team
“I have a bit of mixed feelings. Performance-wise, I think, overall, it was better than what we expected. We’ve been much, much, closer to the top this year but we were so close to getting a podium in both races, so I have mixed feelings. In the race itself, I had a good start and gained one position after the start, but two riders passed me after that I was controlling and managing. Towards the end, I felt OK and then I started to push, but I managed to overtake only one rider. I feel like I could have done it in a much better way, but it is what it is. Regarding the overtake on Marco (Bezzecchi), I was going for one position and he tried to defend his position. It was a bit my fault – I didn’t see him and I expected he would hold his line going into turn two, but he tried to hit the apex again in turn one. That was something I didn’t expect so, it was like 70% on me.”
Enea Bastianini – 5th – Red Bull KTM Tech3
“We worked during the night to try something different, and this morning my start was already better in the Warm Up, and we demonstrated it during the race. It was a bit risky to brake on the kerb at Turn 1, but it was the only solution to be close to the top at the end of Turn 1. I was in fourth position at Turn 6, but I braked late and went wide, and from there I lost some positions. I tried to stay with them, but it was complicated. I suffered like yesterday with the front, but I fought a lot during this race, I saved the bike probably 20 times. Anyway, we can be satisfied. It’s been great work, because yesterday I wasn’t confident of doing a great race like that. Turn 14 on the last lap was a bit like Christmas, a small gift. P6 to P5 doesn’t change a lot, but anyway, it’s better. Now we have Qatar, so I’m looking ahead to that.”
Marco Bezzecchi – 6th – Aprilia Racing
“I struggled badly in the race, but there are still positives to take from the weekend. Now we go to Qatar. I’m not sure what to expect, but there’s no shortage of drive and determination. I hope we’ll have an easier time, but if not, we’ll take the same positive approach we had here at Sepang.”
Luca Marini – 7th – Honda HRC Castrol
“Today has been really good when we look at the whole weekend, yesterday after the Sprint I honestly did not know if I would be able to finish this race. I have to say a big thank you to everyone in my crew because they gave me a lot of motivation before the race, thinking about the three years we have spent together – I wanted to give them something to celebrate and match the effort they always show me. Today was a day to remember, even if it is just for seventh place, we did an amazing race in a tough situation. I knew that the first lap would be the most critical, so I went as hard as I could and I found myself with Zarco and kept him as a point of motivation throughout. Now I’ll head back to Italy before Qatar to continue to improve my condition as much as possible.”
Fabio Di Giannantonio – 8th – Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team
“It was a tough race, I didn’t expect to struggle this much, but we had a problem which cost us the feeling with the front of the bike right from the very start. However, today we gave it our maximum. Anyway, we knew that it would be a challenging race in terms of tyre management. Now we have to analyse and understand why to head into the next race with confidence.”
Brad Binder – 9th – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
“Last race in Sepang done and a long one. From about four laps in I started losing the front and that meant understeer in the long corners. It was really tough until the rear started to fade and then I could brake pretty good. I had some fun battles but I thought I had the pace to do much better today. After four laps I saw we were in trouble and I had to be smart to bring it to the end.”
Franco Morbidelli – 10th – Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team
“It was a really positive day. In the race I was able to achieve my weekend goal, which was to finish in the Top10. I am very happy, this is the third time we finish in the Top10 this year, the team worked twice as hard this weekend to make it possible. We keep working in this direction and we try to repeat these good results in this final stage of the season.”
Fabio Quartararo – 11th – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP
“I gave it my maximum, and the race went like expected. I think I improved my feeling a bit compared to Friday, but we were still not quite where we wanted to be.”
Alex Rins – 12th – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP
“It was really tough, but I gave it my best effort, as always. I started really well, and I recovered some positions. But then I was seeing on the pit board ‘Quartararo 1.6’, then 1 second… I started to ride smoothly, but he caught me. I had a brief chat with him later, and he saw that I was on the limit with the front. I had a big drop of the tyre with 12 laps to go, but I had good fun. It was a tough and physical race, but we did it.”
Francesco Bagnaia – 13th – Ducati Lenovo Team
“The race went more or less as expected. Yesterday, in a way, we were helped a little by the rain. Today, from the start, I knew I had a grip issue and tried to manage it as best I could. Even so, after five laps, the goal became simply to bring the bike home. Unfortunately, this is the situation, and I have to accept it. There are three Grands Prix left in the season, and we’ll try to give it our all in every session.”
Maverick Viñales – 14th – Red Bull KTM Tech3
“We managed to finish today and get some points, so that’s a positive. The race was not so bad but overall, I found it hard to get a good feeling on the bike. We just keep trying to analyse, learn and improve with the team. I still haven’t figured out how to ride the bike quite right, because I feel very low grip and it’s so difficult to make a correct line. Over 20 laps it was tough for sure. After a few laps I started to brake a little bit differently, but the shoulder needs load, so it’s what we expected coming into today. I hope I can recover between these two races. Qatar will feel totally different, but maybe it can be a place where I can start to learn a little bit more.”
Iker Lecuona – 15th – BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP
“Today, the heat was my biggest rival. This definitely isn’t my circuit, but today’s race pushed me to my physical limit. Let’s say it felt like three normal races in one. I’m not a fan of the humidity and the heat, but I gave it my best today. I learned a lot this weekend and I have to be happy with it: it was a positive weekend in terms of my riding, and we also brought home a point for the team.”
Jack Miller – 16th – Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP
“It was a long, tough race. From start to finish, it was more about surviving than thriving. There‘s not a huge amount to say, really. I had a couple of moments early on, and by around lap ten, when I saw the riders ahead pulling away, I could already feel that I was struggling a little more than them. I tried to manage things as best I could, both with my riding and the engine maps, but towards the end I was pretty much a sitting duck and couldn‘t do much more.
Tyre wear was definitely a factor. The conditions were among the toughest we‘ve faced, and Turn 1 felt like an ice rink on every lap. The biggest issue for me was the huge difference in grip between the track surface and the kerbs, so you were constantly trying to use the kerbs to your advantage wherever possible. It was a really difficult situation out there.”
Malaysian MotoGP – Non-Finishers
Johann Zarco – DNF – Castrol Honda LCR
“I’m fine. I was having a good race, and we’ve shown strong pace throughout the weekend. Unfortunately, we had to retire due to a technical issue, but these things can happen. Overall, I’m happy with the work we’ve done here in Malaysia. We’ve made some solid improvements, and the goal now is to keep this positive momentum going.”
Diogo Moreira – DNF – Pro Honda LCR
“I’m fine. I managed to save a few crashes throughout the weekend, but unfortunately, I couldn’t save this one during the race. It’s a shame, but we’ll keep working and try to make some adjustments ahead of the next races to see if we can take another step forward.”
Joan Mir – DNF – Honda HRC Castrol
“Coming into this weekend we knew that there would be some challenges and had already agreed that if I started to feel different, I would stop. On lap nine I started to not feel at my 100% and decided to stop to avoid making anything worse. We need to double check everything now and understand our situation because the weekend until Sunday has been really good – even better than we were expecting. It’s a big shame and of course I am frustrated, but I remain focused to work with the team to understand and overcome this situation.”
Augusto Fernandez – DNF – Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP
“I made a mistake, and it was my fault. At the beginning, I was close to the other Yamahas, and after the pace we showed yesterday, I knew I could stay with them and try to make some passes. I was behind Iker Lecuona, and because of the engine difference, I was losing time in the corners and then he was able to pull away again on the straight. I wanted to get past him, but it was too early, and I made a mistake.
Despite that, I think it was a positive weekend in terms of my riding. I‘m recovering my pace and feeling more comfortable on the bike, so I‘m making good progress. Physically, I felt okay during the race, and I was happy with how I managed the heat throughout the weekend. It‘s a shame I couldn‘t finish the Grand Prix, because completing the full race distance would have been important for rebuilding my physical condition, but I feel I‘m getting there, both physically and mentally, as well as in terms of my riding. I was happy with the Sprint and with the overall progress we made.”
Jorge Martin was unable to contest the Grand Prix after attempting to return from the wrist fracture sustained at Phillip Island. Raul Fernandez also withdrew from the Malaysian round after Friday’s opening practice session, returning to Spain for treatment on his fractured right index finger.
Malaysian MotoGP – Team Management Reactions
Luigi Dall’Igna – Ducati Corse General Manager
“Today’s race wasn’t easy, because it was necessary to keep an eye on rear-tyre wear. Marc did an incredible job, and the bike worked well. Alex also had a good race, so I’m happy with the results. There are still three races left and a lot to do, so we must stay focused until the end. We’re leading the championship, that’s true, but we haven’t achieved anything yet, so we’ll keep both feet on the ground.”
Aki Ajo – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager
“A great weekend for us here in Sepang and really happy we continued the good performance today from the rest of the weekend and especially yesterday’s Sprint race. When we have three of our riders in the top ten then we should be very satisfied. Pedro’s performance was incredible again and it was very smart work to manage the race. Enea’s 5th place and Brad taking 9th was also great.”
Davide Brivio – SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team Principal
“I think we had a good weekend, with these fantastic Gulf colors, with Ai. P4 in the Sprint yesterday with a good pace, leading the race and also with the rain coming it was a little bit difficult to manage, but I think he did a great job. And again, today, another fantastic P4. By the end of the race, Ai was very fast, recovering as usual, but not enough. Maybe we would have needed one or two laps more but, anyway, it was good and exciting to see him in the top group fighting and delivering some good battles yesterday and today – I think it’s a positive weekend for Ai. Unfortunately, at the beginning of the weekend, we had to withdraw with Raul because his finger is still broken. He tried Friday morning, but he couldn’t ride the bike and he is now back to Spain and trying to make deep treatment, all the necessary work he can do and we hope to have him back for the next race. See you in Qatar, where we’ll try to do it again!”
Massimo Rivola – Aprilia Racing
“We knew Sepang would be a difficult track for us. The positive, though, is that the gap was confined to a single sector, which shows us where we need to focus to improve. Marco gave it everything, but by the end of the race he had no tyre left. Jorge tried to work a miracle, but the hard truth is that racing with a fracture of the radius six days earlier was always going to be a tall order. That won’t change anyone’s approach at Aprilia Racing. We’ll keep fighting to the end.”
Nicolas Goyon – Red Bull KTM Tech3 Team Manager
“Well, a pretty good result here in Sepang, with a strong P5 in the main race. We knew yesterday, after the disappointing Sprint, that Enea was able to do much better than this, and the work through the night has paid off. Congratulations to Enea, he delivered a solid race with a really great start, where he was already P4 at the first corner, and he fought all through the race with some decent lap times. In the end, it’s P5 and Enea is now inside the Top 10 in the championship, which is ultimately his target. So, good job from Enea’s side.
On the other half of the garage, I know it’s been a tricky weekend for Maverick. Yesterday he struggled to finish the Sprint, but I’d like to thank him for his effort today. I know he wants more, but at the moment that’s all he can get, and in the end it is P14 and we take these two good points for the championship. We hope that Maverick can fight for higher positions in the near future. Now it’s time for everyone to pack, and we’re going to head to Doha for the next race next week in Qatar.”
Pablo Nieto – Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team Manager
“During this weekend, the weather didn’t make things easy for us: one day was affected by rain, while the other was characterised by high temperatures. Following yesterday’s Sprint, we probably expected a little more with Fabio. But, considering the conditions we had to face, this eighth place is the best we could do. Franco’s Top10 must be considered a step forward. He had a good race, which is the result of the amazing work that both him and the team have been doing. Now we must continue in this direction to finish the season.”
Massimo Meregalli – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team Director
“Today’s 20-lap contest was really tough: the riders had to compete in some of the hottest conditions we have faced all year. It made this race not only a physically demanding challenge for the riders but also a tactical one where tyre management became crucial. Fabio and Álex both gave their maximum. Where Álex had the pace at the start, Fabio had a little bit more left at the end. Of course, finishing outside the top 10 is not where we want to be, but the riders delivered the maximum result today after a challenging weekend.”
Gino Borsoi – Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP Team Director
“Clearly, it‘s been another difficult weekend. Unfortunately, Augusto wasn‘t able to finish the race, which would have been important for him as he continues to rebuild his MotoGP race rhythm and prepare for the remaining rounds. Sepang is a particularly demanding circuit, and the conditions were difficult, so unfortunately he crashed.
Jack, on the other hand, put together a good race and fought with a group of riders, including several other Yamahas. Unfortunately, his tyre performance dropped off towards the end. We need to analyse the data to understand why, but the tyre was quite worn and he couldn‘t do any more. We were hoping to bring home at least one point, but unfortunately we just missed out.”
Michelin – Malaysian MotoGP Technical Debrief
Michelin arrived at Sepang with a revised tyre allocation prepared in anticipation of circuit resurfacing work that had not yet been completed. The front allocation comprised Soft and Medium compounds, while the rear selection included Soft, Medium and Hard options.
All riders selected the symmetric Soft front and asymmetric Soft rear for Sunday’s Grand Prix, the same combination used throughout the grid in Saturday’s Sprint. The rear featured a reinforced right shoulder to cope with the demands of Sepang’s predominantly right-handed layout.
With the track temperature reaching 57 degrees during the Grand Prix, Michelin’s assessment of tyre durability and consistency provides an interesting contrast to the grip and tyre-wear difficulties described by several riders.
Piero Taramasso – Michelin Two-Wheel Motorsport Manager
“Our tires, and particularly the Soft compounds, lived up to every expectation in all conditions, which was no small achievement given the highly variable weather. The lack of track grip throughout the weekend was another important factor we had to manage. Despite these challenges, we came within just one-tenth of a second of the circuit’s all-time lap record, and our tires demonstrated remarkable versatility, even when part of the track became wet during Saturday’s Tissot Sprint.
With track temperatures exceeding 55°C (131°F) at the start of both races—and reaching 57°C (135°F) for the Grand Prix—the durability and consistency of our tires also made a difference. Lap times remained remarkably consistent throughout the races, including in the closing stages.
Our tire technicians, who worked closely with our partners throughout the weekend, played a crucial role in helping them manage their tire allocations effectively. We leave Malaysia with the satisfaction of a job well done, having provided our partners with effective support throughout a particularly challenging race weekend.
We now turn our attention to Qatar, where new uncertainties await us next weekend, particularly regarding temperatures, following the rescheduling of the race originally planned for April.”
Sepang MotoGP Race Results
 |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Time/Gap |
| 1 | M. Marquez | Duc | 40m14.236 |
| 2 | P. Acosta | KTM | +4.172 |
| 3 | A. Marquez | Duc | +5.955 |
| 4 | A. Ogura | Apr | +6.759 |
| 5 | E. Bastianini | KTM | +10.896 |
| 6 | M. Bezzecchi | Apr | +11.259 |
| 7 | L. Marini | Hon | +17.724 |
| 8 | F. Di Giannantonio | Duc | +17.790 |
| 9 | B. Binder | KTM | +23.729 |
| 10 | F. Morbidelli | Duc | +25.097 |
| 11 | F. Quartararo | Yam | +25.826 |
| 12 | A. Rins | Yam | +27.063 |
| 13 | F. Bagnaia | Duc | +32.960 |
| 14 | M. Viñales | KTM | +34.597 |
| 15 | I. Lecuona | Duc | +38.446 |
| 16 | J. Miller | Yam | +43.327 |
| Not Classified | |||
| DNF | J. Zarco | Hon | 17 laps |
| DNF | D. Moreira | Hon | 14 laps |
| DNF | J. Mir | Hon | 9 laps |
| DNF | A. Fernandez | Yam | 1 lap |
2026 MotoGP Championship Standings
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||
|---|---|---|
| Pos | Rider | Points |
| 1 | M. Marquez | 399 |
| 2 | J. Martin | 355 |
| 3 | M. Bezzecchi | 332 |
| 4 | P. Acosta | 295 |
| 5 | A. Ogura | 278 |
| 6 | F. Di Giannantonio | 265 |
| 7 | R. Fernandez | 236 |
| 8 | A. Marquez | 197 |
| 9 | F. Bagnaia | 173 |
| 10 | E. Bastianini | 134 |
| 11 | F. Aldeguer | 125 |
| 12 | B. Binder | 118 |
| 13 | L. Marini | 117 |
| 14 | F. Quartararo | 79 |
| 15 | D. Moreira | 78 |
| 16 | F. Morbidelli | 65 |
| 17 | J. Zarco | 51 |
| 18 | J. Mir | 33 |
| 19 | J. Miller | 31 |
| 20 | A. Rins | 29 |
| 21 | T. Razgatlioglu | 18 |
| 22 | M. Viñales | 14 |
| 23 | I. Lecuona | 11 |
| 24 | A. Fernandez | 6 |
| 25 | P. Espargaro | 5 |
| 26 | S. Chantra | 3 |
| 27 | T. Nakagami | 3 |
| 28 | C. Crutchlow | 0 |
| 29 | J. Folger | 0 |
| 30 | L. Savadori | 0 |
| 31 | M. Pirro | 0 |
| 32 | A. Espargaro | 0 |
2026 MotoGP Calendar
|
|||
|
Rnd
|
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
|
| 18 |
25 Oct
|
Australia
|
Phillip Island
|
| 19 |
01 Nov
|
Malaysia
|
Petronas Sepang International Circuit
|
| 20 |
08 Nov
|
Qatar
|
Lusail International Circuit
|
| 21 |
22 Nov
|
Portugal
|
Autodromo Internacional do Algarve
|
| 22 |
29 Nov
|
Valencia
|
Circuit Ricardo Tormo
|
