KTM’s Pedro Acosta won a thrilling Malaysian Grand Prix sprint at the Sepang International Circuit on Saturday, holding off Ducati’s Marc Marquez by 0.578 seconds after pole-sitter Alex Marquez crashed out of the lead.
The 10-lap sprint, run on October 31, gave Acosta his second sprint victory of the season and tightened the drama around the championship — while also extending Marc Marquez’s lead at the top of the standings after title rival Jorge Martin withdrew from the weekend.
Marc Marquez finished second, with Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi third, Trackhouse Aprilia’s Ai Ogura fourth and VR46’s Fabio Di Giannantonio fifth.
How the sprint unfolded
Alex Marquez, starting from pole for Gresini Ducati, seized the lead into Turn 1, but his race unravelled quickly. After an early exchange with Ogura at Turn 2, Alex Marquez crashed at Turn 14 on lap three while running first, handing the lead to Ogura.
Ogura led for most of the sprint, with Acosta and Marc Marquez chasing. Acosta took the lead at Turn 9 on lap eight, lost it briefly to Ogura at Turn 11, then retook it — and when Marc Marquez carved past Ogura at Turn 14, the podium order was set.
Rain had threatened throughout at Sepang, but the leading pack crossed the finish line of the 10-lap sprint just before the heaviest rain arrived.
“Normally in mixed conditions I don’t do a good job. But anyway, today was the day to try,” Acosta said after his second sprint victory of the season.
What it means for the title race
The result extended reigning champion Marc Marquez’s championship lead over Martin to 19 points, with Bezzecchi now 52 points adrift. Martin withdrew on Saturday morning after persistent wrist pain hampered his comeback from a fracture, acknowledging that his title hopes were, in his words, already lost.
Marquez, who is set to join Acosta as a future Ducati team-mate, can therefore increase his advantage further in Sunday’s main race — but Acosta’s pace in changeable conditions showed the KTM rider will not make it straightforward.
What happens next
The Malaysian Grand Prix continues with Sunday’s main race at Sepang, where Marquez will look to convert his extended points lead into further daylight, while Acosta chases a weekend double after his sprint win.
Sources
- Reuters, “Motorcycling — Acosta wins Malaysian GP sprint, Marc Marquez extends championship lead,” October 31, 2026
- Crash.net, “Pedro Acosta wins rain-hit Sepang MotoGP sprint after Alex Marquez crash,” October 31, 2026
