MotoGP Malaysian GP: Marc Marquez takes dominant win to inch closer to title

Motorsport photoMarc Marquez scored a commanding victory in the Malaysian Grand Prix to move a step closer to sealing the 2026 MotoGP title, with Aprilia failing to finish on the podium.The factory Ducati rider gained the lead at the start and built a buffer in the first half of the race, aided by his younger brother Alex Marquez acting as a rear-gunner.While Pedro Acosta was able to pass the Gresini rider on lap 10 following a lengthy battle, he had no answer for Marc Marquez, who cruised to the finish to claim his seventh grand prix win of the season.The result moves him 44 points clear of injured Jorge Martin and 67 in front of Marco Bezzecchi, meaning he could wrap up the 2026 title as early as next week’s Qatar Grand Prix.Still compromised by a shoulder injury he sustained at the Catalan GP, Alex Marquez had to settle for third position, but he successfully kept Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi at bay during the middle of the race.When the 20-lap Sepang contest got underway, Marc Marquez made the best launch from second on the grid, streaking past polesitter Alex Marquez on the run down to Turn 1.The Gresini rider retaliated under braking for Turn 4 but ran too deep into the right-hander, allowing the reigning champion to retake the position.Behind the leading duo, Ai Ogura initially moved up to third on the Trackhouse Aprilia, before dropping behind Pedro Acosta and Marco Bezzecchi in quick succession.Acosta then closed the gap to Alex Marquez, putting the reigning Malaysian GP winner under serious pressure. But despite clearly being the faster of the two, the sprint winner struggled to complete a pass on him, allowing Marc Marquez to pull away at the front.It wasn’t until the midpoint of the race on lap 10 that Acosta was finally able to make a move, by which point his 2027 team-mate had built an advantage of 1.7s.Marquez immediately picked up his pace after Acosta moved to second, extending his lead to well over two seconds. On lap 14, Acosta gained four tenths on the race leader, but Marquez responded to his pace on the following tour, with the KTM rider unable to keep up with his countryman’s speed.Marquez eventually took the chequered flag with a comfortable margin of 4.1s, scoring his 80th premier class win and boosting his chances of a 10th world title.Acosta completed a double podium in second following his sprint win on Saturday, while Alex Marquez rounded out the top three.Factory Aprilia rider Bezzecchi initially remained within strike distance of Alex Marquez, briefly edging ahead of the Gresini rider on lap 10. But he couldn’t complete the move on the Spaniard and fell into the clutches of Trackhouse rider Ogura.The two then engaged in a fierce battle for fourth, making heavy contact at the start of lap 18. Ogura eventually got the better of his team-mate to take fourth, while Bezzecchi ran off the track on the final lap and dropped to sixth, behind the Tech3 KTM of Enea Bastianini.Further back, factory Honda rider Luca Marini capitalised on a fast getaway from 13th on the grid to finish seventh, beating the VR46 Ducati of Fabio di Giannantonio. KTM’s Brad Binder and di Giannantonio’s team-mate Franco Morbidelli completed the top 10.Yamaha duo Fabio Quartararo and Alex Rins were next up in 11th and 12th, while factory Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia wound up 13th after dropping outside the points at one stage.Maverick Vinales, Iker Lecuona and Jack Miller were the last of the classified finishers.Diogo Moreira and Augusto Fernandez crashed out early in the race, while Johann Zarco and Joan Mir retired due to suspected mechanical issues.To read more Motorsport.com articles visit our website.