Pedro Acosta wins Sepang sprint as Marc Marquez finishes second
NXTbets Pro | Published On: October 31, 2026
Sprint result
Pedro Acosta won the 10-lap, rain-affected sprint at Sepang, with Marc Marquez second, 0.578 seconds back and Marco Bezzecchi third. Ai Ogura finished fourth, Fabio Di Giannantonio took fifth and Francesco Bagnaia crossed sixth, keeping the title battle mathematically alive and extending Marquez’s advantage at the front. The race carried extra weight because it came after a qualifying session in which Alex Marquez set the pace for both the Malaysian Grand Prix and the sprint. He took pole with a lap of 1 minute 56.493 seconds, 0.070 seconds clear of Marc Marquez. That gave the Marquez brothers the front row edge heading into the weekend. For Acosta, the win stood out because he led the rain-affected sprint. For Marc Marquez, second place still counted. He picked up points and kept pressure on the championship, even though he finished behind Acosta in the sprint. Bezzecchi finished third, while Ogura, Di Giannantonio and Bagnaia completed the top six.
Martin withdraws weekend
Jorge Martin, the 2024 champion, withdrew from the Malaysian Grand Prix weekend at Sepang after trying to ride Friday, six days after breaking his wrist in Australia. His withdrawal ended his chances of scoring points in Malaysia and removed him from the weekend’s championship contest. Martin had entered the Sepang round 10 points behind championship leader Marc Marquez. His decision to step away after testing himself on Friday left the title chase to continue without him scoring in Malaysia. Martin’s absence changed the shape of the race weekend. Instead, attention turned to what Marc Marquez could do in both the sprint and the Grand Prix. Martin left Sepang without points, while six riders remained mathematically able to win the championship after Sepang.
Marquez extends lead
Marc Marquez left the sprint with a bigger cushion in the championship, even if the fight remained mathematically alive. Before the Sepang weekend, he said he could leave Malaysia with a 47-point championship lead if he won both races, with 111 points still available in the title chase at that stage. The sprint gave him part of that move. His second-place finish moved him to a 19-point lead over Martin, with 374 points to Martin’s 355 after the race. Marquez had entered the weekend knowing the mathematics could change if he delivered in both Malaysia races. The sprint alone did not finish the job, but it extended his advantage. Six riders were still mathematically able to win the title after Sepang, leaving the season unresolved. Marquez added to his lead in the sprint, and the championship remained within reach for more than one rider.
