Acosta wins Malaysian MotoGP sprint at Sepang; Marc Marquez goes 19 points clear as Martin withdraws
Pedro Acosta beat Marc Marquez by 0.578s in the Sepang sprint. Marquez leads by 19 points after injured title rival Jorge Martin pulled out.
At a glance
- Pedro Acosta won the 10-lap Malaysian MotoGP sprint at Sepang on Saturday, October 31, 2026, in 20 minutes 4.098 seconds.
- Marc Marquez finished second, 0.578s behind, and Marco Bezzecchi third, 1.310s back.
- Pole-sitter Alex Marquez crashed on lap three, and Jorge Martin withdrew from the weekend because of his wrist injury from Australia.
- Marquez now has 374 points, 19 clear of Martin on 355, with Bezzecchi on 322.
Pedro Acosta won the Malaysian MotoGP sprint at Sepang on Saturday, beating Marc Marquez by 0.578 seconds in a race thrown open by a crash and a rain scare. Second place was still a very good day for Marquez, who moved 19 points clear in the championship because his closest rival was not on the grid.
Jorge Martin withdrew from the weekend after morning practice. He is still recovering from the broken wrist he suffered in Australia last week, and he has admitted his title hopes are fading.
A sprint that changed shape three times
Alex Marquez started from pole and was hunting his first sprint win of the year when he crashed on the third of 10 laps. He said afterwards that rain played no part. Japan's Ai Ogura inherited the lead, but Acosta came through from behind and took over at the front.
Then the weather tried to decide it. The white flag came out early as the first drops fell, signalling that riders could swap machines. With four laps left, drizzle reached the track, and Jack Miller, Joan Mir, Iker Lecuona, Maverick Vinales and Franco Morbidelli all pitted for bikes on wet tyres. The gamble failed. The real downpour arrived only after the chequered flag. Miller's bad day got worse when his spare bike was not ready as he came in.
Those who stayed out on slicks took the points. Acosta crossed the line in 20 minutes 4.098 seconds.
The sprint result and the title table
| Position | Rider | Gap |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pedro Acosta | 20m 04.098s |
| 2 | Marc Marquez | +0.578s |
| 3 | Marco Bezzecchi | +1.310s |
| Championship | Rider | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marc Marquez | 374 |
| 2 | Jorge Martin | 355 |
| 3 | Marco Bezzecchi | 322 |
Francesco Bagnaia finished sixth, helped by the changing weather.
A week that has swung the title Marquez's way
Martin arrived in Australia last weekend still in the fight. A crash at Phillip Island left him with the wrist injury, and that race weekend was then cut short by the weather. He has now also lost the points on offer at Sepang: 12 for a sprint win and 25 for Sunday's race. A 19-point lead could therefore grow to as much as 44 by Sunday evening, before the final rounds of the season.
Bezzecchi is 52 points back. His podium keeps him in the conversation, but the title looks to be Marquez's to lose.
Sunday's grand prix
The Malaysian Grand Prix, the 19th round of the season, runs on Sunday, November 1. Sepang's afternoon storms are common at this time of year, and Saturday showed how quickly they can scramble a race. Alex Marquez will restart from the front of the grid, with a point to prove. Marc Marquez needs only a steady ride to take another large step towards the title.
