Marc Marquez Wins In Malaysia To Close In On MotoGP World Title

Marc Marquez moved to within touching distance of an eighth world title with an imperious victory at the Malaysian MotoGP on Sunday. The Ducati star cruised to a dominant win in 40min 14.236sec, finishing 4.172 seconds ahead of Pedro Acosta, while his younger brother Alex Marquez completed the podium, almost six seconds further back. Marquez now holds a 44-point lead over his closest title rival, Jorge Martin, after claiming his seventh victory of the season. It was also his third MotoGP win in Malaysia, having last triumphed at Sepang in 2018.

With Aprilia rider Martin sidelined from the Sepang weekend due to a broken wrist, fellow Spaniard Marquez can wrap up the championship next weekend in Qatar.

"Closer, but not done," the 33-year-old Marquez said of the title race.

"So in the end, same mentality. Try to keep pushing, try to be super focused because there are not many races to go, but many moments to go."

After Qatar, only two race weekends will remain in the season.

Marquez wasted no time in snatching the lead from his brother as the riders entered Turn 1 after the start. The siblings briefly traded positions before the elder Marquez established control in scorching conditions.

He gradually pulled away from the chasing pack, building a lead of 1.7 seconds over Alex, who was battling hard to hold off Acosta.

Acosta's persistence eventually paid off as the Red Bull KTM rider overtook Alex Marquez for second place on Lap 10.

At the front, Marc Marquez was never seriously challenged and comfortably rode to victory, extending his impressive run of form in the second half of the 2026 season.

Despite moving closer to another world title, Marquez remained cautious.

"It looks like this weekend I took Alex Marquez's skills in Malaysia because I was riding exactly like he did here last year when he won," he said.

Meanwhile, Alex Marquez revealed that he will undergo right shoulder surgery in Madrid, ruling him out of next week's race in Qatar.

"It's time to have that surgery and try to come back stronger in Valencia," he said, referring to the final race of the season.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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