Marc Marquez won the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang on Sunday, his seventh victory of the season and the eightieth of his MotoGP career, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport. The Spanish rider now leads the standings by 44 points over Jorge Martin and 67 over Marco Bezzecchi with three rounds remaining. He could secure his tenth world title, and his eighth in the premier class, as early as next weekend in Qatar.
Why it matters
La Gazzetta dello Sport describes the Sepang race as the turning point of a season it had covered as tightly balanced and unpredictable. That uncertainty has now largely dissolved. With Martin absent after fracturing a wrist the previous week and Bezzecchi managing only sixth, Marquez holds a margin that puts the championship on the verge of resolution with two races still to spare.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Marquez needs to outscore Martin by 30 points and Bezzecchi by 8 at Losail to take the title there. Sportmediaset frames the same scenario as a first match point for the Spaniard. A further calculation reported by La Gazzetta dello Sport sets the bar for clinching with two rounds to go: if Marquez leaves Qatar with a lead of 74 points or more over both rivals, the championship is his. That would require him to win both the Sprint and the full race while Martin scores no more than 7 points and Bezzecchi no more than 30.
Whether Martin will even line up in Qatar is unclear. La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that his participation, and his condition if he does race, remain open questions.
A familiar move and a Spanish podium
La Gazzetta dello Sport describes Marquez's decisive move as one that has become the signature of his season: a plunge from his grid slot to the inside line at the first corner, braking later than anyone else regardless of where he starts. Once ahead, the race was effectively settled.
His brother Alex, riding a Gresini-liveried Ducati, briefly gave chase but ran wide at the second corner, allowing Marc through on the inside. Behind them, Enea Bastianini made early progress through the pack and even reached fourth before being passed by Ai Ogura, Bezzecchi and Johann Zarco.
Pedro Acosta, who had won Saturday's Sprint, kept close to Alex Marquez and passed him at Turn 9 on the tenth lap to take second. The podium was entirely Spanish, with Marc Marquez first, Acosta second and Alex Marquez third. Ogura finished fourth, Bastianini fifth and Bezzecchi sixth after being overtaken by Ogura with three laps left and then running wide on the final lap.
The result also lifted Ducati above Aprilia in the constructors' standings, 537 points to 529, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport, which noted that Aprilia has never reached the podium at Sepang.
What the riders said
Acosta, quoted by La Gazzetta dello Sport, said Marquez had been very fast at the start but that he had matched that pace, adding that he is finishing the season strongly. Marquez said he had spent practice sessions probing the bike's limits and described his race as perfect, saying his approach would not change because there are still targets to reach.
The official race classification from Sepang, as reported: Marc Marquez first, Acosta second, Alex Marquez third, Ogura fourth, Bastianini fifth, Bezzecchi sixth.
The next round is the Qatar Grand Prix next weekend, where Marquez's first opportunity to close out the championship will arrive.
