Márquez wins in Malaysia, and the title could now be settled in Portimão
Marc Márquez beat Pedro Acosta and brother Álex at Sepang to move to 399 points, 44 clear of Jorge Martín, who sat out with his injured wrist. Three rounds remain. Leave Qatar more than 74 points ahead and he is champion before the Algarve.
Marc Márquez won the Malaysian Grand Prix on Sunday and took a big stride towards an eighth premier-class title. The Ducati rider crossed the line at Sepang 4.172 seconds clear of KTM’s Pedro Acosta, with his brother Álex third, according to the official race classification.
It was his 80th MotoGP win and his first in Malaysia since 2018. On Saturday he had finished second in the sprint, which Acosta won.
The rival stayed in the garage
What made the weekend count double was the empty Aprilia. Jorge Martín tried to come back from the wrist he broke at Phillip Island but pulled out before qualifying, without the strength to brake hard. Márquez arrived 10 points ahead. He leaves 44 clear, on 399 to Martín’s 355, with Marco Bezzecchi third on 332.
Australia had already scrambled the maths, after the Phillip Island round was called off because the medical helicopter couldn’t fly.
Qatar first, then the Algarve
Three weekends are left: Qatar (6 to 8 November), Portimão and Valencia. Each is worth at most 37 points (12 for the sprint, 25 for the Grand Prix), so 74 will remain once Qatar is done. If Márquez leaves Lusail more than 74 points ahead of everyone, that’s it.
If not, the party moves to the Algarve International Circuit on 20 to 22 November. Anyone heading to MotoGP in Portimão might just see a title decided, which doesn’t come round every year.
One caveat. The Qatar round is clouded by security worries, and several riders have asked for travel and evacuation guarantees. If it falls off the calendar, the title goes to Portugal or Valencia.
By Vasco Almada
Image: TeamEG00 / Wikimedia Commons (public domain)
