Sunday MotoGP Race
After clinching second in the MotoGP World Championship on Saturday, Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) backed it up with a commanding Malaysian Grand Prix victory on Sunday. A flawless ride from the #73 saw the Spaniard beat the impressive Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) by 2.6s, while a late issue for Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) handed Joan Mir and Honda HRC Castrol a fantastic P3 at Sepang.
Just as he did in the Sprint, Bagnaia nailed the start and earned the holeshot, as Acosta fired his way into an early P2. But not for long. Alex Marquez attacked his compatriot at Turn 4, and a lap later, the #73 demoted Bagnaia to P2 with a brilliant move up the inside of the Italian. For the first time this weekend, the #63 wasn’t leading.
On Lap 3, it was Turn 4 again. This time, Acosta was underneath Bagnaia, but the latter bit straight back at Turn 5 to keep the KTM behind him. Acosta then gave it another go at Turn 9, but once more, it wasn’t a move that stuck. This phenomenal duel between Bagnaia and Acosta allowed Marquez to stretch his early lead out to 0.8s, with Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) a further 0.8s back in P4 – the Frenchman having Mir close for company.
A few laps went by and the situation at the front remained the same. Marquez’s lead was hovering around the second mark, with Acosta still locked onto the rear tyre of Bagnaia. It was 1.9s back to the Quartararo vs Mir fight that was rumbling on nicely, with Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) 1.1s adrift of the two MotoGP World Champions. Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP), meanwhile, was 1.5s behind Morbidelli and was struggling to get going in the Grand Prix at this stage.
On Lap 10 of 20, Mir made his move on Quartararo. What did the HRC star have in his pocket now that a bit of free air was ahead of him? The gap to the podium fight was 2.7s as the Grand Prix entered the second half, and now, tyre life was going to be crucial.
The beginning of Lap 12 saw Australian GP winner Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) crash at Turn 1, which was just after Miguel Oliveira (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP) also slipped out of contention, while at the front, Marquez was half a second quicker than Pecco and Acosta.
Then, Acosta pounced. Turn 11 was the place and when the move was made, the gap between Marquez and Acosta was 1.8s, then two seconds. It was a move that stuck for Acosta, with Bagnaia potentially regretting his front medium compound tyre choice now.
Lap 14 saw Marquez land a 2:00.546, a whole second faster than Bagnaia and over half a second quicker than second place Acosta. Mir, in P4, was also in the 2:00s, meaning the #36’s podium chances weren’t done yet – and the same could be said for Morbidelli in P5.
However, on the next two laps, Bagnaia managed to find a bit of pace to limit the damage to his advantage over Mir. With four laps to go, the gap between the Ducati and HRC riders sat at 1.9s, with Acosta 2.5s away from Marquez. It looked like Acosta needed Marquez to make a mistake in the closing stages if he wanted to have a realistic chance of clinching his first MotoGP win.
While a win looked like it was coming for Marquez, the other side of the Gresini garage then witnessed Aldeguer crash out at the final corner, as Bagnaia then encountered an issue on his Ducati. Pecco felt something wasn’t right coming into Turn 1 and immediately started looking down to the rear of his machine. What had gone wrong? It wasn’t clear to us what it was, but whatever the issue, it meant Mir was now in P3, and Pecco was scoring zero points. A disappointing end to a great weekend for Pecco, but a gift for Mir and Honda after their Sprint DNF on Saturday.
And so, the last lap began. Marquez was 2.8s clear of Acosta, who in turn had a very comfortable gap back to Mir. 1.4s split the latter to fourth place Morbidelli, so minus any mistakes, P3 was Mir’s.
After clinching second place overall on Saturday, Marquez completed a fantastic weekend at the office to win for the first time outside of Spain. Kudos to Acosta, that’s another sublime effort from the KTM rider to stick it on the box at Sepang, 13 seconds ahead of the next best KTM, as Mir earns his second Sunday podium of the season with a P3. A great start and end to the flyaway stretch for the 2020 World Champion and HRC.
Morbidelli had some very strong late race pace to finish in P4, with Quartararo completing the top five after he was forced to sit up at Turn 15 when Morbidelli came barging through. Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) earned P6, a couple of seconds ahead of Enea Bastianini (Red Bull KTM Tech3), who came from P19 on the grid to collect a P7 – a great ride from ‘The Beast’.
Luca Marini (Honda HRC Castrol), Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) rounded out the top 10, the trio finishing ahead of 11th place Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing). It was a low-key round for Bezzecchi and Aprilia, but Pecco’s unfortunate DNF means they move back into P3 overall.
The final points on offer went to Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR), Alex Rins (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP), and Somkiat Chantra (IDEMITSU Honda LCR).
2025 Malaysian MotoGP Results
| 1 | Alex Marquez | SPA | BK8 Gresini Ducati (GP24) | 40m 9.249s |
| 2 | Pedro Acosta | SPA | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +2.676s |
| 3 | Joan Mir | SPA | Honda HRC Castrol (RC213V) | +8.048s |
| 4 | Franco Morbidelli | ITA | Pertamina VR46 Ducati (GP24) | +8.580s |
| 5 | Fabio Quartararo | FRA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +11.556s |
| 6 | Fabio Di Giannantonio | ITA | Pertamina VR46 Ducati (GP25) | +13.060s |
| 7 | Enea Bastianini | ITA | Red Bull KTM Tech3 (RC16) | +15.299s |
| 8 | Luca Marini | ITA | Honda HRC Castrol (RC213V) | +18.738s |
| 9 | Brad Binder | RSA | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +18.932s |
| 10 | Ai Ogura | JPN | Trackhouse Aprilia (RS-GP25)* | +19.256s |
Moto2 Race
A dramatic Moto2™ encounter saw Jake Dixon (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) claim Moto2™ honours at Sepang in a red-flagged Grand Prix of Malaysia. Dixon managed to hit the front on Lap 3 of the restart and never looked back, finishing ahead of David Alonso (CFMOTO RCB Aspar Team) and third in the championship Barry Baltus (Fantic Racing). The pendulum swung again in the title race too, as Manuel Gonzalez (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) fell from a top five place with just a few laps to go; chief title rival Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team) finished fifth and thus leads the Championship for the first time in 2025 with his two-point deficit converted into a nine-point advantage.
Daniel Holgado (CFMOTO RCB Aspar Team) got the dream launch in the original start but further back, there was drama for Joe Roberts (OnlyFans American Racing Team), who fell on the exit of Turn 5. This brought out the red flag and whilst the American was able to walk away, everyone would need to go again in a shortened 11-lap scrap for honours. On the second restart, it was a carbon copy as Holgado again grabbed the holeshot whilst Dixon battled intensely behind with 2020 Moto3 World Champion and arch-rival Albert Arenas (ITALJET Gresini Moto2). By Turn 14, the #96 was through and began hunting down Holgado.
At Turn 4 on Lap 3, the British star made his move into the lead, getting the job done and then setting a relentless pace to break away. The scrap was further behind as Gonzalez had his hands full with Baltus, with the Belgian still in title contention and thus not giving an inch to the #18. Behind, Moreira was fighting his way through. Having previously had contact with Izan Guevara (BLUCRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2) at Turn 6 whilst fighting for P9, he’d moved up to P6 with just four laps to go, passing a fading Arenas.
With just one place between the two title heavyweights, it all came to a crashing halt for Gonzalez who fell at Turn 15 with just three to go. The long-time Championship leader dropped the ball at the wrong time and with a clear view of it, Moreira knew this was his chance. Inheriting fifth, all he had to do was get to the finish, whilst Gonzalez’s crash had also brought Baltus and Dixon back into mathematical contention.
Across the line, it was a seventh Moto2 victory and a third of the season for the Brit, who is now 41 behind new Championship leader Moreira with 50 remaining. Alonso took his fourth podium of the season and his second in as many rounds, ahead of Baltus who, like Dixon, remains in mathematical contention and is 35 points from the lead. Holgado strengthened his grasp on finishing 2025 as top rookie with fourth, whilst Moreira leads the way after his P5.
Arenas took the chequered flag in sixth place whilst Daniel Muñoz (Red Bull KTM Ajo) finished seventh. Alex Escrig (KLINT Forward Factory Team) was magnificent in P8 for his first points since Austin, whilst Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Tony Arbolino (BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2) rounded out the top ten.
2025 Malaysian Moto2 Results
| 1 | Jake Dixon | GBR | Elf Marc VDS Racing (Boscoscuro) | 23m 05.26s |
| 2 | David Alonso | COL | CFMOTO RCB Aspar Team (Kalex) | +2.035s |
| 3 | Barry Baltus | BEL | Fantic Racing (Kalex) | +2.745s |
| 4 | Daniel Holgado | SPA | CFMOTO RCB Aspar Team (Kalex) | +4.358s |
| 5 | Diogo Moreira | BRA | Italtrans Racing Team (Kalex) | +5.672s |
| 6 | Albert Arenas | SPA | Italjet Gresini Moto2 (Kalex) | +6.699s |
| 7 | Daniel Munoz | SPA | Red Bull KTM Ajo (Kalex) | +7.699s |
| 8 | Alex Escrig | SPA | KLINT Forward Factory Team (Forward) | +7.704s |
| 9 | Collin Veijer | NED | Red Bull KTM Ajo (Kalex) | +10.070s |
| 10 | Tony Arbolino | ITA | BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2 (Boscoscuro) | +11.726s |
Moto3 Race
Moto3 got their Grand Prix underway later than previously scheduled; during the sighting lap, there was an incident involving Noah Dettwiler (CIP Green Power) and Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo), which led to the Grand Prix being delayed. Both riders were taken to hospital by medical helicopter and the new race start pushed back until the medical helicopter could return.
Rueda was confirmed to be alert and awake in hospital with a number of contusions and a suspected fracture in his hand. Dettwiler’s team, CIP Green Power), offered the following update on the Swiss rider later in the day:
“This morning, during the sighting lap at Sepang, our rider Noah Dettwiler was involved in a serious accident. He was taken to the hospital in Kuala Lumpur and will need to undergo multiple surgeries.
“He is in good hands, and we kindly ask you to respect his privacy. We will not be sharing further details at this time.Noah is a true fighter, and the entire CIP Green Power team is right behind him. We will keep you updated as soon as possible.”
When the Grand Prix got underway over 10 laps, Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia) took a first win in the class ahead of Angel Piqueras (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI) and Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing).
Grabbing the holeshot, Furusato led the way throughout the opening lap whilst polesitter David Almansa (Leopard Racing) was just ahead of a fast-starting Maximo Quiles (CFMOTO Power Electronics Aspar Team). By the end of Lap 3, Almansa had briefly retaken the lead but soon enough, the #72 of Furusato battled back to P1. By half distance, Guido Pini (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) had worked his way into P2, getting ahead of Quiles at Turn 4 on Lap 5 before the Spaniard retaliated at Turn 9. Fernandez had also surged into contention from the fourth row of the grid and picked Pini’s pocket, the #94 now fourth. Fernandez was now into P2 whilst at Turn 2 on Lap 6, Quiles had the most remarkable of front-end slides but somehow kept it upright.
It was a Honda 1-2-3 at the front with Furusato’s lead hovering at around a second, ahead of Fernandez and Almansa, although the second of the Leopard Racing Hondas was shuffled back to fifth by a hard-charging Pini and Piqueras, although the #22 responded at Turn 9 to retake fourth. Pini had likewise elevated himself into second and all the fighting of the remaining podium positions gave Furusato a one second lead with three laps to go. Almansa lost the front at the final corner on Lap 8 but managed to stay on track, dropping him down to P6 and out of the podium battle and instead behind Quiles. A lap later and Turn 15 spelt the end of Pini’s Grand Prix, the Italian out of podium battle in an attempt to pass Fernandez.
Onto the final lap and with Furusato clearing off into the distance, the fight was for second but at Turn 9, soon settled as Fernandez had a huge slide, handing it to Piqueras. Across the line for his first Grand Prix victory, Furusato was unstoppable to bag Honda’s first win of 2025. Piqueras clinched second whilst Fernandez came home third ahead of teammate Almansa, with three Hondas in the top four. Ryusei Yamanaka (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI) came through to complete the top five, ahead of Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo).
Quiles came home seventh and with that was crowned Rookie of the Year ahead of Scott Ogden (CIP Green Power) who came up from 15th for his first top ten since his P7 at Assen. In ninth place, Brian Uriarte (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) who was forced off-track by Quiles on the final lap at Turn 7 whilst Valentin Perrone (Red Bull KTM Tech3) clinched P10. Elsewhere, home wildcard Hakim Danish (AEON CREDIT SIC Racing MSI) set the fastest lap but retired with a technical issue.
2025 Malaysian Moto3 Results
| 1 | Taiyo Furusato | JPN | Honda Team Asia (Honda) | 22m 03.888s |
| 2 | Angel Piqueras | SPA | FRINSA -MT Helmets – MSI (KTM) | +2.259s |
| 3 | Adrian Fernandez | SPA | Leopard Racing (Honda) | +2.625s |
| 4 | David Almansa | SPA | Leopard Racing (Honda) | +4.167s |
| 5 | Ryusei Yamanaka | JPN | FRINSA -MT Helmets – MSI (KTM) | +4.338s |
| 6 | Alvaro Carpe | SPA | Red Bull KTM Ajo (KTM) | +4.429s |
| 7 | Maximo Qulies | SPA | Power Electronics Aspar Team (KTM) | +4.496s |
| 8 | Scott Ogden | GBR | CIP Green Power (KTM) | +4.678s |
| 9 | Brian Uriarte | SPA | Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP (KTM) | +4.729s |
| 10 | Valentin Perrone | ARG | Red Bull KTM Tech3 (KTM) | +6.309s |
MotoGP Sprint Race
There was simply no stopping Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) on Saturday at the PETRONAS Grand Prix of Malaysia. Pole position to Tissot Sprint victory – back with a bang. The double MotoGP World Champion made it look easy to beat Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) by 2.2s, with that result officially handing the #73 second in the championship to make it a Marquez brother 1-2. What an achievement for the family. And there was more to celebrate in the Gresini box because a P3 in the Tissot Sprint meant Fermin Aldeguer clinched the 2025 Rookie of the Year crown, despite a post-Sprint tire pressure penalty costing the Spaniard his bronze medal.
It was a great start from pole by Pecco and as usual, Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) got off the line like a missile to grab an early P3. Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) didn’t get away well, but the Italian battled his way back to P4 by the end of the opening lap, as he and former teammate Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) went elbow to elbow.
Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol) and Aldeguer treated us to a barnstormer on the opening lap too before the 2020 World Champion earned P4 at the end of Lap 1 and got into a rapid rhythm.
At the start of Lap 3, Pecco was a second clear of Alex Marquez and Acosta, with Mir just over half a second away from the rostrum. At this stage of the Sprint, Pecco was half a second faster than anyone else on circuit, and his lead was soon up to 1.9s over the trio of Spaniards behind him.
That soon became two though. Mir was down at Turn 9 as he slipped out of the podium battle, and that was the #36’s Sprint over. Now, it was Aldeguer who had his sights firmly set on Acosta’s rear tire for a bronze medal, and the rookie was reeling in his compatriot very quickly.
Aldeguer was over half a second faster on Laps 6 and 7, meaning with three to go, the #54 was in striking distance. And sure enough, Aldeguer pounced. Turn 9 was the corner, and it was a clean, up the inside move to see the Gresini rider move into P3.
Honda HRC Castrol’s promising Saturday ended in double disappointment as Luca Marini suffered his first crash of the season after a move up the inside of Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Tech3) didn’t work at Turn 14, which also cost the #44 his place in the top nine.
Aldeguer didn’t have enough time left to catch and challenge teammate Marquez for P2, and no one could lay a glove on Pecco. The #63 delivered a faultless Saturday in Sepang to win the Tissot Sprint from pole, with the silver and bronze medals going to the Gresini garage as Marquez finally clinched P2 overall to create history – a Marquez 1-2 in 2025. And on the other side of the box, Aldeguer’s P3 saw him crowned the star rookie of the campaign – and even with a late tyre pressure penalty, that doesn’t change things.
Acosta crossed the line in P4 but inherits a bronze medal after Aldeguer’s penalty, with the #37 finishing 1.3s ahead of Morbidelli, as Quartararo completed the top five. Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) was the lead RS-GP rider in P6, the Italian now sits level on points with Pecco again in that championship fight, with Aldeguer’s eight-second hit dropping him to P7. Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) and Enea Bastianini (Red Bull KTM Tech3) acted as the final points scorers in P8 and P9 respectively.
2025 Malaysian MotoGP Results—MotoGP Sprint Race
| 1 | Francesco Bagnaia | ITA | Ducati Lenovo (GP25) | 19m 53.725s |
| 2 | Alex Marquez | SPA | BK8 Gresini Ducati (GP24) | +2.259s |
| 3 | Pedro Acosta | SPA | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +5.155s |
| 4 | Franco Morbidelli | ITA | Pertamina VR46 Ducati (GP24) | +6.541s |
| 5 | Fabio Quartararo | FRA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +8.468s |
| 6 | Marco Bezzecchi | ITA | Aprilia Racing (RS-GP25) | +10.232s |
| 7 | Fermin Aldeguer | SPA | BK8 Gresini Ducati (GP24)* | +11.138s |
| 8 | Johann Zarco | FRA | Castrol Honda LCR (RC213V) | +12.627s |
| 9 | Enea Bastianini | ITA | Red Bull KTM Tech3 (RC16) | +12.974s |
| 10 | Fabio Di Giannantonio | ITA | Pertamina VR46 Ducati (GP25) | +14.515s |
MotoGP Qualifying
The three most-recent winners found themselves in Q1 as Bagnaia, Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) and Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) all looked to lock in their Q2 spot. Third place in the standings, Bezzecchi, also vied to move through along with FP2’s fastest rider Luca Marini (Honda HRC Castrol), one of the strongest Q1s of the season taking shape. With the first run done, Marini set the fastest lap of the weekend but at the start of his second run, Pecco took over top spot. It was only brief as Aldeguer went P1 but then crashed on his final flying lap at Turn 4, bringing out the yellow flags. This neutralised the state of play, with the #54 being joined by Bagnaia in Q2; Marini starts 13th, ahead of Bezzecchi and Fernandez.
Now, the pole shootout. The opening efforts were strong and by the end of the first run, Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) had fired in a 1’57.195 but there was still time to find, with it being slower than Aldeguer’s Q1 effort. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was in P2 whilst Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol) made it three different manufacturers on the provisional front row. Heading out on track at the start of the second half of the session, Bagnaia was on a different strategy to everyone else; his first lap time was a strong one, with a belting final sector slotting him into provisional pole and the fastest lap of the weekend.
With less than three minutes to go, Acosta crashed at Turn 1 but remounted in a quest to improve his pole hopes. Aldeguer’s opening lap in his second run placed him in the top five whilst teammate Alex Marquez was just 0.016s shy of Bagnaia’s time in P2. It wasn’t all done yet however, as ‘El Diablo’ was having one last role of the dice. Up after three sectors, he ran wide at the final corner and in the end, couldn’t improve.
Finishing the flyaway tour just as he started, Bagnaia bagged pole for a third consecutive season at Sepang and whilst not dipping under the 1’57 bracket, his 1’57.001 was good enough to give him a clear view into Turn 1 for the Sprint and Grand Prix on Sunday. Alex Marquez’s P2 welcomes him back to the front row for the first time since Misano, whilst Morbidelli rounded out the front row and confirmed his Sepang pace from Friday, clinching a second front row of 2025, his first since Aragon. Quartararo was forced to settle for P4 and the head of the second row alongside Acosta, whilst Aldeguer salvaged a second row start in sixth.
Top Honda honours went the way of Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol), less than half a second off of pole and just under a tenth ahead of Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team). Back in the top nine for the first time since Barcelona, Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) lines up ninth whilst Alex Rins (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) repeats his top ten qualifying effort of 12 months ago at Sepang with 10th, ahead of Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP) and KTM super-sub Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Tech 3).
2025 Malaysian MotoGP Results—MotoGP Qualifying
| 1 | Francesco Bagnaia | ITA | Ducati Lenovo (GP25) | 1’57.001s |
| 2 | Alex Marquez | SPA | BK8 Gresini Ducati (GP24) | +0.016s |
| 3 | Franco Morbidelli | ITA | Pertamina VR46 Ducati (GP24) | +0.158s |
| 4 | Fabio Quartararo | FRA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +0.194s |
| 5 | Pedro Acosta | SPA | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +0.362s |
| 6 | Fermin Aldeguer | SPA | BK8 Gresini Ducati (GP24)* | +0.438s |
| 7 | Joan Mir | SPA | Honda HRC Castrol (RC213V) | +0.439s |
| 8 | Fabio Di Giannantonio | ITA | Pertamina VR46 Ducati (GP25) | +0.521s |
| 9 | Johann Zarco | FRA | Castrol Honda LCR (RC213V) | +0.530s |
| 10 | Alex Rins | SPA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +0.944s |
Moto2 Qualifying
Daniel Holgado (CFMOTO RCB Aspar Team) will start the Moto2 Malaysian GP from pole position after setting a late, scintillating new lap record to head the field by over half a second. The rookie’s sublime 2:02.858 was by far the best lap of a mouthwatering Q2 that saw the tension between title contenders Manuel Gonzalez (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) and Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team) ramp up as they diced on track.
In the early stages, Moreira overtook Gonzalez at Turn 1 as the time attacks began. That shoved the Spaniard slightly wide and ruined his opening lap, so the championship leader then lunged up the inside of the Brazilian at Turn 2 to return the favour. By the end of the session, Gonzalez was P7 but Moreira may rue the adventures as he’ll start P16 after a mistake on his last flying lap.
The second row is Albert Arenas (ITALJET Gresini Moto2), Catalan GP podium finisher Daniel Muñoz (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and last weekend’s second place finisher David Alonso (CFMOTO RCB Aspar Team).
Holgado is out to wrap up Rookie of the Year and his closest competitor is teammate Alonso.
Aron Canet (Fantic Racing), third overall, starts P8 ahead of BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2’s Tony Arbolino.
2025 Malaysian MotoGP Results—Moto2 Qualifying
| 1 | Daniel Holgado | SPA | CFMOTO RCB Aspar Team (Kalex) | 2m 02.562s |
| 2 | Barry Baltus | BEL | Fantic Racing (Kalex) | +0.562s |
| 3 | Jake Dixon | GBR | Elf Marc VDS Racing (Boscoscuro) | +0.591s |
| 4 | Albert Arenas | SPA | Italjet Gresini Moto2 (Kalex) | +0.625s |
| 5 | Daniel Munoz | SPA | Red Bull KTM Ajo (Kalex) | +0.723s |
| 6 | David Alonso | COL | CFMOTO RCB Aspar Team (Kalex) | +0.728s |
| 7 | Manuel Gonzalez | SPA | Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP (Kalex) | +0.747s |
| 8 | Aron Canet | SPA | Fantic Racing (Kalex) | +0.767s |
| 9 | Tony Arbolino | ITA | BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2 (Boscoscuro) | +0.851s |
| 10 | Alex Escrig | SPA | KLINT Forward Factory Team (Forward) | +0.993s |
Moto3 Qualifying
Rocketing to a second pole of 2025, David Almansa (Leopard Racing) left it until his final flying lap to deliver the goods at Sepang on Saturday. Still chasing his first podium, he’ll have Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia) right next to him for the first time in over a year, whilst Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) lines up third.
Guido Pini (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP) and Brian Uriarte (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP) take fourth and fifth, with Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) completing Row 2.
Valentin Perrone (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) heads Row 3, also via Q1, ahead of Maximo Quiles (CFMOTO Power Electronics Aspar Team) as the #28 got a late bump up to Q2 following the unfit for Jacob Roulstone (Red Bull KTM Tech3).
Angel Piqueras (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI) fell at Turn 4 but was able to remount and continue his session, however, the rider second overall could only take P9.
Phillip Island podium finisher and polesitter Joel Kelso (LEVELUP-MTA) goes from 11th and debutant wildcard rider Hakim Danish (AEON CREDIT SIC Racing MSI) from 14th.
2025 Malaysian MotoGP Results—Moto3 Qualifying
| 1 | David Almansa | SPA | Leopard Racing (Honda) | 2m 09.846s |
| 2 | Taiyo Furusato | JPN | Honda Team Asia (Honda) | +0.094s |
| 3 | Jose Antonio Rueda | SPA | Red Bull KTM Ajo (KTM) | +0.230s |
| 4 | Guido Pini | ITA | Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP (KTM) | +0.308s |
| 5 | Brian Uriarte | SPA | Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP (KTM) | +0.393s |
| 6 | Alvaro Carpe | SPA | Red Bull KTM Ajo (KTM) | +0.450s |
| 7 | Valentin Perrone | ARG | Red Bull KTM Tech3 (KTM) | +0.451s |
| 8 | Maximo Qulies | SPA | Power Electronics Aspar Team (KTM) | +0.505s |
| 9 | Angel Piqueras | SPA | FRINSA -MT Helmets – MSI (KTM) | +0.581s |
| 10 | Luca Lunetta | ITA | SIC58 Squadra Corse (Honda) | +0.835s |
2025 Malaysian MotoGP News—Friday
Marc Marquez to miss remainder of 2025
Marc Marquez’s 2025 season is over after Ducati confirmed he would not ride their machine in either Valencia or the post-race test at the end of November as he recovers from a coracoid fracture and ligament injury in his right shoulder.
“Analyzing the entire situation, we believe that the most appropriate, clever and consistent course of action is to respect the biological timing of the injury, even if that means I will no longer be able to race this season or attend testing,” said Marquez in an official statement.
“We know a difficult winter awaits us, with a lot of work to recover my muscles to 100% and be ready for 2026.” He sounded off on a defiant tone: “This must not overshadow the great goal we achieved this year: becoming World Champions again.”
Quartararo unimpressed by V4 progress
A running theme through the Sepang weekend was Fabio Quartararo’s bemusement at the progress of Yamaha’s V4. Augusto Fernandez is making his second wildcard appearance on the bike, and had a tough opening day on Friday.
“There is not yet a point where I have to ask how he’s going because I can see from the results and from his face how he’s going,” said the Frenchman. On Thursday he was asked what it will take for Yamaha to convince him to stay with them beyond 2026.
“I need to feel that it’s a winning bike (and one which can) fight for the top five in every single session, every single Sprint, and every single GP.” On whether that’s an achievable goal for the Iwata factory, he said, “I prefer not to answer the question.”
For his part, Fernandez was bemused by the fact he hadn’t tested the V4 since Misano in September. “I would like to ride more, because I’m not riding at the full of the bike. I will be on the pace on Sunday maybe. But yeah, we need to improve the programme for next year.”
Phillip Island ‘switched warning light on at KTM’
Pedro Acosta was more upbeat in Malaysia and believed his struggles in the pevious week’s Australian Grand Prix has ‘switched on a warning light at KTM’.
The Spaniard has been vocal about the RC16’s lack of ability when managing its rear tyre in recent weeks. And Phillip Island, when the four KTMs had the same issue, was something of a wake up call.
“I’m quite happy because it looks like KTM was working a lot between races,” said the Spaniard. “And OK, it was tough to understand why we arrived to that critical point in Phillip Island. But maybe this also switch on a warning in all KTM to start to be more deep in this point.”
He also feels he has made a significant mental step forward compared to the start of the season. “Mentally, I’m much better. I’m riding quite ok now. Now, it’s a matter of working super hard, trying to improve the bike a bit; it doesn’t matter if it’s set-up, new things or whatever. But I think good opportunities are coming for us in the last three races.”
Friday MotoGP
Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) delivered the goods on Friday to set the pace with a 1:57.559 as the #37 beat Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) by 0.019s, while Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP) rounded out the top three in an unpredictable session. Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) squeezes into Q2 despite a second crash of the day, but our last three Grand Prix winners – Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) and Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) – face Q1. Oh, and so does Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing).
Acosta was an early faller in the session at Turn 10, seeing the #37 not get a lap time on the board for the first 20 minutes. Meanwhile, compatriot Aldeguer quickly climbed to the top of the timesheets with a 1:58.279, the rookie led Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol) and Bagnaia early doors.
Heading into the final 30 minutes, the top three remained the same, with Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) and Luca Marini (Honda HRC Castrol) operating inside the top five. Alex Marquez was sixth ahead of Bezzecchi, with Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), Zarco, and Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team), with those riders the other provisional automatic Q2 attendees as things stood.
Then, rain flags were being waved. Alex Rins (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) promoted himself to P5 just after we saw the white and red flags out, which shoved Zarco into P11. However, that didn’t last long, because the Frenchman soared to P1 on his next time attack to demote countryman Quartararo out of the top 10 – but the Yamaha star was setting red sectors. And sure enough, the #20 rose to top spot with a 1:58.113, as Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) suffered his second crash of the day – this time Turn 2 bit the #73.
Practice ramped up quickly with the threat of rain looming, and very soon after he’d crashed, Marquez found himself outside the top 10. And then, the rain really did start to fall on some parts of the circuit.
Acosta landed a lap good enough for P6 in the nick of time, that lap shoved Di Giannantonio into the Q1 places, as every rider peeled back into pitlane with 12 minutes to go. Would there be a chance for anyone to improve? Marquez was certainly hoping so, because the rider gunning for P2 in the championship was now P14, with Bezzecchi and Bagnaia sitting P5 and P10.
It looked like there would be a chance. With seven minutes to go, the MotoGP field ventured out for one final throw at the top 10 dice, and it was a great first throw from Marquez. The #73 grabbed P3, meaning Bagnaia was now P11, as Acosta set a 1:57.559 to go half a second clear of the pack.
What did Pecco have in response? Not enough to begin with. The Italian improved but the lap was 0.048s away from the top 10, as Zarco and Miller jumped into the top three.
Pecco, meanwhile, was on a good lap three-quarters of the way round his last flying lap. However, four tenths went missing in the last split, and with that, it was Q1 for the 2024 Malaysian GP winner. Then, the focus turned to Aldeguer. Could the rookie find time on his last lap to gain Q2 promotion? The answer was no. And the same could be said for Bezzecchi and Australian GP winner Fernandez.
All that meant the last three Grands Prix winners will be in Q1 on Saturday morning. MotoGP’s unpredictability shining through once more.
Mir heads into Saturday in P4 behind those above top three, with Quartararo rounding out the top five. Di Giannantonio improved late to finish P6 ahead of teammate Franco Morbidelli, as Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Tech3) once again impresses by gaining automatic Q2 entry in P8. Ninth went to Marquez, who delivered when the pressure was on, as Rins held onto P10 despite a late crash.
2025 Malaysian MotoGP Results—Friday MotoGP
| 1 | Pedro Acosta | SPA | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | 1’57.559s |
| 2 | Johann Zarco | FRA | Castrol Honda LCR (RC213V) | +0.019s |
| 3 | Jack Miller | AUS | Pramac Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +0.281s |
| 4 | Joan Mir | SPA | Honda HRC Castrol (RC213V) | +0.295s |
| 5 | Fabio Quartararo | FRA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +0.309s |
| 6 | Fabio Di Giannantonio | ITA | Pertamina VR46 Ducati (GP25) | +0.480s |
| 7 | Franco Morbidelli | ITA | Pertamina VR46 Ducati (GP24) | +0.482s |
| 8 | Pol Espargaro | SPA | Red Bull KTM Tech3 (RC16) | +0.496s |
| 9 | Alex Marquez | SPA | BK8 Gresini Ducati (GP24) | +0.498s |
| 10 | Alex Rins | SPA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +0.558s |
Friday Moto2
With the sun coming out for Moto2™ Practice, it was Championship leader Manuel Gonzalez (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) who ended Friday on top. Moving up to P1 with less than five minutes to go, ‘Manugas’ will hope it’s the start of a strong weekend, where he aims to extend his Championship lead after it’s been whittled down in recent rounds by Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team); the Brazilian joins his title rival in Q2 directly, finishing in P10, with Jake Dixon (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) and Albert Arenas (ITALJET Gresini Moto2) completing the top three.
Barry Baltus (Fantic Racing), Daniel Holgado (CFMOTO RCB Aspar Team), teammate David Alonso, and Aron Canet (Fantic Racing) were inside the top seven, all under two tenths away from Gonzalez’s pace.
Australian GP winner Senna Agius (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) finds himself in Q1 after finishing Practice in P15.
2025 Malaysian MotoGP Results—Friday Moto2
| 1 | Manuel Gonzalez | SPA | Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP (Kalex) | 2m 04.166s |
| 2 | Jake Dixon | GBR | Elf Marc VDS Racing (Boscoscuro) | +0.052s |
| 3 | Albert Arenas | SPA | Italjet Gresini Moto2 (Kalex) | +0.116s |
| 4 | Barry Baltus | BEL | Fantic Racing (Kalex) | +0.127s |
| 5 | Daniel Holgado | SPA | CFMOTO RCB Aspar Team (Kalex) | +0.154s |
| 6 | David Alonso | COL | CFMOTO RCB Aspar Team (Kalex) | +0.157s |
| 7 | Aron Canet | SPA | Fantic Racing (Kalex) | +0.187s |
| 8 | Alex Escrig | SPA | KLINT Forward Factory Team (Forward) | +0.296s |
| 9 | Tony Arbolino | ITA | BLU CRU PramacYamaha Moto2 (Boscoscuro) | +0.391s |
| 10 | Diogo Moreira | BRA | Italtrans Racing Team (Kalex) | +0.445s |
Friday Moto3
World Champion Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) heads into the weekend as the rider to beat in Moto3 after the #99 topped a delayed Practice on Friday afternoon. Rueda’s 2:11.152 was top but only 0.035s quicker than his rookie teammate and second fastest rider Alvaro Carpe, with Red Bull KTM Ajo enjoying a perfect start to the Malaysian GP.
Third went the way of Brian Uriarte (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP), the reigning Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup champion impressing on Day 1 as he continues his time subbing for David Muñoz.
Angel Piqueras (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI) and David Almansa (Leopard Racing) completed the top five, with Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia), Joel Kelso (LEVELUP-MTA) and Jacob Roulstone (Red Bull KTM Tech3) rounding out the fastest eight riders.
Maximo Quiles (CFMOTO Power Electronics Aspar Team) misses out on an automatic Q2 spot, facing Q1 as he tries to wrap up Rookie of the Year this weekend.
Fellow rookie Guido Pini (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) is also in Q1 and the Italian was far from impressed with Carpe after they got into a battle at the end of Practice.
2025 Malaysian MotoGP Results—Friday Moto3
| 1 | Jose Antonio Rueda | SPA | Red Bull KTM Ajo (KTM) | 2m 11.152s |
| 2 | Alvaro Carpe | SPA | Red Bull KTM Ajo (KTM) | +0.035s |
| 3 | Brian Uriarte | SPA | Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP (KTM) | +0.050s |
| 4 | Angel Piqueras | SPA | FRINSA -MT Helmets – MSI (KTM) | +0.112s |
| 5 | David Almansa | SPA | Leopard Racing (Honda) | +0.121s |
| 6 | Taiyo Furusato | JPN | Honda Team Asia (Honda) | +0.131s |
| 7 | Joel Kelso | AUS | LEVELUP – MTA (KTM) | +0.297s |
| 8 | Jacob Roulstone | AUS | Red Bull KTM Tech3 (KTM) | +0.360s |
| 9 | Luca Lunetta | ITA | SIC58 Squadra Corse (Honda) | +0.471s |
| 10 | Scott Ogden | GBR | CIP Green Power (KTM) | +0.512s |
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