And so, it’s on to Malaysia. After a weather-affected Sunday saw the cancellation of the Australian Grand Prix race, the 2026 MotoGP title race thriller heading into this weekend’s PETRONAS Grand Prix of Malaysia is how it was after the barnstorming – and dramatic – Sprint at Phillip Island.
10 points in it. Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team), the leader. Walking wounded Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing), the chaser. And Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing), the underdog. The setting for Round 19? The wonderful Petronas Sepang International Circuit, scene of many a clash and decisive showdown.
THE TITLE CHASING TRIO
The best Tissot Sprint of the season – or ever? Arguably. At least until pre-Sprint championship leader Martin crashed. And it’s because of that Phillip Island tip-off that Martin lands in Malaysia with a non-displaced fracture of his wrist. What we know officially from Aprilia Racing is that the 2024 Champion hasn’t headed home to Spain for treatment and won’t be undergoing surgery. Will he try and race? If yes, he’ll need to be passed fit on Thursday. And now, we wait.
That means Marc Marquez is now in the championship driving seat. An injured Martin, in addition to a 50-point lead over Bezzecchi, means the momentum has shifted back into the reigning World Champion’s palms. But last time the #93 raced here was in 2024, which unearthed a Sprint P2 and a Sunday P12 following a crash. Marc Marquez’s win tally here in MotoGP sits at two (2014 & 2018); it’s absolutely not one of his happier hunting grounds, but it’s a weekend where the #93 needs to add to his 10-point lead given the scenario on one side of the Aprilia box.
On the other side sits Bezzecchi. Sepang is a venue where the Italian has never stood on the podium, across any class, and last year Bezzecchi finished over 19 seconds away from winner Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) in P11. They’re different beasts this year though – both rider and manufacturer – so don’t expect a similar pattern. Aprilia should, once again, be seriously strong. What to expect? been a wild rollercoaster of a rider so far. The pre-weekend picture looks a little like this, though: Marc Marquez needs to take advantage of his position. Martin needs to dig deep to limit the potential points loss going into the final three rounds of the season. And Bezzecchi simply has to start taking chunks out of the 50-point deficit…
ONES TO WATCH: AM73 & PA37
Why? Well, Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) and Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) were your 1-2 at last year’s Malaysian Grand Prix. The #73 has a classy record in Sepang, including a Sprint win and Sunday P2 in 2023’s edition, and a double P4 in 2024. Let’s chuck in the day he won the Moto2 title as well back in 2019 and it makes for plenty of happy reading for him.
Meanwhile, a rider who has, in his words, “no friends” in this 2026 fight is Acosta. The KTM star was the only rider to finish under eight seconds away from Alex Marquez in Malaysia last year, and this feels like it’s a weekend where a second MotoGP win could be within Acosta’s reach – he is uninvolved in that title fight dynamic at the very top.
MORE ALLIES IN THE TITLE FIGHT?
Aprilia Racing will also be hoping Raul Fernandez (SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team) will have regained some comfort in his fractured fingers, because like Martin, Fernandez will have to pass a medical check pre-weekend to see if he can race after withdrawing from the Australian GP. As the scrap between the Noale and Bologna factories ramps up, every position counts. This time last year, Ai Ogura (SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team) led the RS-GP fleet home in the Grand Prix with a P10 finish. After enjoying his best Phillip Island feeling to date on Friday, can the Japanese star find his groove in Malaysia this weekend to try and take points away from Marc Marquez too?
Collecting a Sprint bronze medal in Australia was Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team), his 10th podium across Sprints and GPs this season, and both the Italian and teammate Franco Morbidelli were inside the top six here last year. Can the Italians be in the podium mix again? Then there’s a previous Sepang winner donned in red: Francesco Bagnaia. Is this the weekend where Pecco finds that front-end feeling he’s been craving? Winner here in 2022 and 2024. The polesitter and Sprint winner here last year. A big weekend beckons for the Ducati Lenovo Team Italian.
Unfortunately, Fermin Aldeguer remains sidelined with a fracture in his right hand. As he did in Australia, 2026 WorldSBK runner-up Iker Lecuona will stand in for his compatriot at BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP.
HRC: THE OUTSIDERS FOR A PODIUM?
It’s a warm welcome back to action expected for Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol), and the 2020 World Champion returns to the place he picked up his most recent MotoGP podium. Mir’s P3 last season, coupled with teammate Luca Marini’s P8, signalled a strong weekend for the Japanese giants. A repeat, although unlikely given the current landscape, would be a huge boost. Both Mir and Marini aim to be passed fit.
Johann Zarco (Castrol Honda LCR) was a Sprint points scorer here last year and as the Frenchman proved again in the damp Phillip Island conditions, if wet weather is a factor – which it is forecast to be at times – he’s a MotoGP powerhouse. And at a more stop-and-go layout, can Diogo Moreira (Pro Honda LCR) put himself in the mix for top 10s and more in Malaysia?
A TRIO OF KTMs ON THE PROWL
Enea Bastianini (Red Bull KTM Tech3) might also fancy his chances of being close to a podium at a circuit he finished P7 at last season. Like Moreira, his Japan results suggest ‘The Beast’ could provide a bit more bite in Sepang. He did win here in 2023 and finished on the podium in 2024 after all. And while a podium might not be the stated aim, Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) is a rider looking to continue his solid run of form. 12 Sunday points finishes in a row. A P6 in the Phillip Island Sprint too – can Binder earn a season-best in Sepang? Meanwhile, Maverick Viñales (Red Bull KTM Tech3) will go searching for a first Sunday top 10 of an injury-ravaged season, gaining strength and mileage.
YAMAHA OUT FOR MORE GAINS
Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP) will be revved up for some MotoGP action after the Australian wasn’t able to give his adoring fans one final MotoGP show on the Island, although last year, it was Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) who was the top Yamaha star across the line in a fine P5, while Miller and Alex Rins (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) collected points. And with Test Rider Augusto Fernandez (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP) filling in for the injured Toprak Razgatlioglu, it could be a Grand Prix where important steps forward are made in the ever-evolving V4 project.
10 points is far from a lot. Neither is 50 when so many remain on the line. But the momentum continues to tease in the 2026 MotoGP World Championship fight – so can Marquez capitalise? Can Bezzecchi bite back? And more than anything… can Martin race and take some vital points as the season reaches its crescendo? Strap in for the Petronas Grand Prix of Malaysia – we’re about to find out.
