Malaysian MotoGP Sprint: Acosta wins, Marquez stretches lead as Miller’s wet-bike gamble backfires

Motorcycle News ·

MotoGP Sprint race action at the Malaysian Grand Prix, Sepang

Pedro Acosta (KTM) won Saturday’s MotoGP Sprint at Sepang, Malaysia, the round after the Australian GP at Phillip Island was cancelled for weather. Marc Marquez finished second and stretched his championship lead over Jorge Martin, who is out of the weekend with a broken wrist. It was a rough day for Jack Miller.

Sprint result (top 10)

  1. Pedro Acosta (KTM) 20m04.098s
  2. Marc Marquez (Ducati) +0.578s
  3. Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia) +1.310s
  4. Ai Ogura (Aprilia) +1.793s
  5. Fabio Di Giannantonio (Ducati) +5.053s
  6. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) +8.330s
  7. Brad Binder (KTM) +8.484s
  8. Diogo Moreira (Honda) +9.001s
  9. Enea Bastianini (KTM) +9.101s
  10. Johann Zarco (Honda) +9.545s

Pole-sitter Alex Marquez crashed out of the lead at Turn 14 on lap three. He was unhurt. Acosta set the fastest lap, a 1m58.196s on lap two.

Martin out, Marquez extends lead

Jorge Martin (Aprilia) withdrew during qualifying because his fractured wrist would not let him brake hard enough. Raul Fernandez had been declared unfit on Friday. With Martin absent, Marc Marquez’s second place moved him to 374 points, 19 clear of Martin (355). Bezzecchi is third on 322.

Miller’s pit-lane mix-up

Queenslander Jack Miller qualified 16th. Running 17th or 18th in the Sprint, he pitted to swap to a bike on wet tyres, but his second bike had not been prepared with them, and he retired after two laps. Miller called it a miscommunication with the team, took responsibility and apologised for his reaction. He is 19th in the championship on 31 points.

Aussies in Moto2 and Moto3

When is the race?

The Malaysian Grand Prix runs on Sunday 1 November, with Moto3 (15 laps) and Moto2 (17 laps) before the MotoGP race. Check your local broadcaster for times in Australia and New Zealand.

Sources

Featured image: MotoGP Sprint at the Malaysian Grand Prix, Sepang, MotoGP.

Details checked 31 October 2026. Confirm details with the dealer or organiser before you buy or ride.

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