Marquez wins Malaysian Grand Prix, moves to brink of eighth MotoGP title

Marc Marquez won the Malaysian MotoGP at Sepang International Circuit in Sepang, Malaysia on November 1, 2026, moving to the brink of an eighth world title. The victory left him well placed to clinch the championship at the next round in Qatar.

Marquez completed the race in 40min 14.236sec, finishing 4.172sec clear of Red Bull rider Pedro Acosta, with Alex Marquez a distant third, almost six seconds adrift. The result put Marc Marquez 44 points ahead of Jorge Martin in the standings and gave him his seventh victory of the season. It was Marquez’s third MotoGP win in Malaysia and his first success at Sepang since 2018.

The race began with Marquez taking the lead from his brother into Turn 1, the siblings briefly swapping positions before the elder Marquez edged clear in scorching conditions. Saturday’s sprint winner Pedro Acosta initially shadowed both Marquez riders in third, while Marco Bezzecchi held fourth and Ai Ogura was fifth.

As the laps progressed Marquez, 33, began to extend his advantage, developing a 1.7 sec lead over Alex Marquez as the younger rider defended his second-place position from Acosta. Alex remained in that defensive role until the midpoint of the race.

On Lap 10 Acosta succeeded in passing Alex Marquez to claim second place, and from that point Marquez at the front remained untroubled. The race concluded with Marquez coasting to the checkered flag to continue his strong run through the second half of the 2026 season.

With Aprilia’s Jorge Martin absent from the Sepang weekend due to a broken wrist, Marquez can secure the championship at the next round in Qatar. After that event there are two weekends remaining in the 2026 campaign.