MOTO GP

Alex Marquez takes an authoritative win at the Malaysian GP

Alex Márquez had a perfect Sunday in Sepang. The Spaniard dominated the Malaysian MotoGP Grand Prix and took his third victory of the season. He also mathematically secured second place in the world championship, finishing only behind his brother, Marc Márquez.

From the start, Alex demonstrated strong pace and complete control of the race, crossing the finish line more than two seconds ahead of Pedro Acosta. This victory was even more special because it marked his first victory outside of Spain in 2025, after triumphs in Jerez and Barcelona.

To complete the Spanish dominance, Joan Mir finished third, completing an all-Iberian podium. Close behind, Franco Morbidelli and Fabio Quartararo completed the top five.

Pole-sitter Francesco Bagnaia started strongly in the intense heat and high humidity of Sepang. The Ducati rider, who had won the sprint on Saturday, maintained the lead on the first lap. However, he soon felt pressure from Pedro Acosta and Alex Márquez. Still on the second lap, Márquez made a decisive overtake. He took advantage of a high-speed corner and dove inside, overtaking Bagnaia with authority. From that moment on, the Ducati-Gresini rider controlled the pace of the race until the end.

Meanwhile, Bagnaia found himself under pressure from Acosta. The young KTM talent stayed close and, shortly after, on lap 13, made a precise maneuver to take second place, thus leaving his Italian rival behind.

Even so, the drama was not over. In the final laps, Bagnaia suffered a mechanical problem and ended up retiring from the race, losing his chance at a podium finish.

With the title already decided, Marc Márquez, the new 2025 world champion, did not participate in the race due to an injury. Still, he watched from afar as his younger brother's impeccable performance solidified the Márquez family's dominance of the season.

Earlier, Sunday also had its share of tension. The Moto3 race was postponed and shortened after a serious accident between José Antonio Rueda and Noah Dettwiler during the warm-up lap. Both were taken to the hospital by helicopter, but fortunately, they were conscious.

In the end, Alex Márquez crossed the finish line in 40:09.249, sealing an undisputed victory and reinforcing Spain's dominance in the 2025 MotoGP.

Pecco Bagnaia got off to a good start and held the lead, with Pedro Acosta and Álex Márquez battling for second place, with the Gresini rider coming out on top.

On the second lap, Álex performed well, diving and overtaking Bagnaia, taking the lead in the Sepang race. Pedro Acosta, who was chasing Márquez, began to pursue the Italian Ducati rider.

On the following lap, Acosta even overtook Bagnaia, but the Italian remained calm and steadily regained second place, while Álex steadily widened his lead. This duel continued for several laps, with the young KTM rider and the two-time MotoGP champion swapping positions in quick succession.

On lap 5, Pol Espargaró crashed and let his bike slide through the gravel trap, causing a yellow flag in Sepang's Sector 2 circuit. The test rider, who had ridden one of the Tech 3 KTM bikes, retired from the race.

Just behind, another duel was also underway: between Fabio Quartararo and Joan Mir, with the French Yamaha rider holding on to fourth place. Another 'conflict sequence' had been occurring since sixth place, with Franco Morbidelli remaining in sixth, followed by Fermín Aldeguer, Johann Zarco, Fabio di Giannantonio, and Luca Marini.

With half the race already completed, the duel between Bagnaia and Pedro Acosta continued, with both following Álex Márquez closely but unable to overtake the Gresini rider.

On lap 11, Miguel Oliveira of Pramac Yamaha crashed, causing a brief yellow flag in sector 3, but soon returned to the track. A lap later, Raul Fernández also crashed, causing a yellow flag in the first sector but subsequently retiring from the race.

Moments later, both Morbidelli and Quartararo missed their braking points, but the VR46 rider prevailed and took fifth place.

After pushing for more than 10 laps, Acosta attacked and took second place from Bagnaia, while Álex opened up a gap at the front, reaching over two seconds ahead of the Spaniard on a KTM.

With five laps remaining, Acosta continued to increase his lead over Bagnaia, who was struggling with his Ducati in the final part of the race in Sepang. Meanwhile, Álex Márquez held a lead of more than 2.5 seconds over Acosta.

With three laps remaining, Aldeguer crashed and let his bike slide at Turn 15, triggering another caution, this time in sector four. Moments later, Bagnaia began to slow and lose positions, likely due to a tire problem, pitting and retiring. Mir then moved into third place.

On the final lap, Álex Márquez remained comfortably in the lead, as did Pedro Acosta in second place. The one who wasn't at ease was Joan Mir, who held on to third place while the group behind heated up, changing positions one after the other.

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