Sport ▲ Rising Trend score 84 · Published October 25, 2026 · Updated October 25, 2026

MotoGP Malaysian Grand Prix 2026: Sepang, Marquez vs Martin

Round 19 of 22 at Sepang, 30 October to 1 November 2026. Marc Marquez leads Jorge Martin by 10 points (365 to 355) after the Australian GP was cancelled, and Martin is heading to Malaysia with a fractured right wrist. Sprint Saturday and Grand Prix Sunday both start at 3pm local time (7am UK). Sources: MotoGP.com, Sepang International Circuit, Crash.net, The Race.

By Alexandre Le Hégarat · datastats

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MotoGP Malaysian Grand Prix 2026: Sepang, Marquez vs Martin — Postmortem at Russian Wikipedia · Public domain

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The context

The Malaysian Grand Prix arrives with the title fight on a knife edge and its main challenger hurt. Marc Marquez (Ducati) leads Jorge Martin (Aprilia) by 10 points, 365 to 355, after a strange Australian weekend: Marquez won the Phillip Island Sprint, Martin crashed out of it with a fractured right wrist, and Sunday’s Grand Prix was then cancelled because rain and low cloud grounded the medical helicopter. No race points were awarded, so Martin’s injury cost him less than it might have.

Sepang is round 19 of 22. The 5.5 km circuit near Kuala Lumpur is one of the hottest and most physical stops of the year, and the 3pm starts for the Sprint and Grand Prix sit right in the window for tropical afternoon storms. For Martin, the question is whether a non-displaced distal radius fracture will let him hold an Aprilia through the braking zones at the end of the two long straights. Italian media report that surgery has been ruled out and that he plans to travel, but neither his presence at Sepang nor a fitness decision has been officially confirmed.

The arithmetic is simple: 148 points remain, Marquez cannot clinch in Malaysia, and the earliest possible decider is Qatar on 8 November, a race MotoGP says will go ahead despite rider concerns. Marco Bezzecchi, 50 points back, is the outsider. Behind them, Raul Fernandez and Fabio Di Giannantonio risk being mathematically eliminated on Sunday.

Last year Alex Marquez won the Grand Prix here in front of a record crowd of almost 191,000, and Malaysia has since secured its place on the calendar until 2031.

For the round that set up this weekend, see our page on the MotoGP Australian Grand Prix 2026 at Phillip Island, and for US fans watching on the night clocks go back, our guide to daylight saving time 2026.

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The Petronas Grand Prix of Malaysia runs from Friday 30 October to Sunday 1 November 2026 at the Petronas Sepang International Circuit, near Kuala Lumpur. It is round 19 of the 22-round 2026 MotoGP World Championship, coming straight after Phillip Island. The 10-lap Tissot Sprint is on Saturday 31 October and the 20-lap Grand Prix on Sunday 1 November, both at 3pm Malaysia time (MYT, UTC+8). Sources: Sepang International Circuit timetable, MotoGP.com.

The Grand Prix starts at 3pm MYT on Sunday 1 November, which is 7am GMT in the UK (British clocks went back on 25 October, so the gap to Malaysia is now eight hours). The Saturday Sprint is also at 7am GMT, and Qualifying 2 runs from 3.15am to 3.30am GMT on Saturday. Friday's Practice session, which decides direct entry to Q2, is at 7am GMT. Source: Sepang International Circuit timetable; conversion by our editors.

The race falls overnight Saturday into Sunday in the US, on the very night American clocks go back. 3pm MYT on Sunday 1 November is 2am Eastern (EST, after the change at 2am EDT) and midnight Pacific (still PDT at that moment). The Saturday Sprint is at 3am Eastern (EDT) on Saturday 31 October, or midnight Pacific at the end of Friday 30 October. Conversion by our editors from the official 3pm local start (Sepang International Circuit).

Local times (MYT, UTC+8): Friday 30 October, Free Practice 1 at 10.45am and Practice at 3pm. Saturday 31 October, Free Practice 2 at 10.10am, Q1 at 10.50am, Q2 at 11.15am and the Sprint (10 laps) at 3pm. Sunday 1 November, Warm Up at 10.40am and the Grand Prix (20 laps) at 3pm. The circuit notes that times and race distances can change for weather, safety or operational reasons. Source: Sepang International Circuit.

No. Marquez leads Martin by 10 points with 148 still available (four weekends at 37 points each: 12 for the Sprint, 25 for the Grand Prix). Even with a perfect weekend and zero for Martin, his lead would be 47 points with 111 left after Sepang, not enough. The earliest he could mathematically clinch is Qatar, and only if Qatar goes ahead and his lead exceeds 74 points after it. Calculation by our editors from the Crash.net standings.

It is not confirmed. Martin crashed at the Hayshed during the Phillip Island Sprint on 24 October. Aprilia said on 25 October that the only confirmed injury is a non-displaced fracture of the distal radius in his right forearm, with a suspected ulna fracture ruled out, and that he will not return to Spain for treatment. Italian outlets GPOne and Corsedimoto report that surgery has been ruled out and that he plans to travel to Malaysia, but his presence at Sepang has not been officially confirmed. He will still need to be declared fit by the medical staff before riding. Sources: Crash.net, GPOne, The Race.

Sunday's Grand Prix at Phillip Island on 25 October was called off because of heavy rain and poor visibility, which stopped the medical helicopter from operating safely. Moto3 and Moto2 were cancelled first, and MotoGP was abandoned at 3.35pm local time. No race points were awarded, so the standings stayed as they were after Saturday's Sprint, won by Marquez. Sources: The Race, Grande Premio.

1. Marc Marquez 365 points, 2. Jorge Martin 355 (-10), 3. Marco Bezzecchi 315 (-50), 4. Pedro Acosta 263 (-102), 5. Ai Ogura 259 (-106), 6. Fabio Di Giannantonio 252 (-113), 7. Raul Fernandez 236 (-129), 8. Alex Marquez 181, 9. Francesco Bagnaia 166, 10. Fermin Aldeguer 125. Ogura lost his sixth place in the Australian Sprint to a tyre-pressure penalty. Sources: Crash.net, Grande Premio.

After Sepang, 111 points will remain (assuming Qatar goes ahead). Any rider more than 111 points behind the leader at that stage is out. Raul Fernandez (129 behind) needs to outscore Marquez by around 18 points to stay alive, Di Giannantonio (113 behind) by at least 2. Ogura and Acosta stay in contention unless Marquez outscores them by more than 5 and 9 points respectively. Ties are decided on number of wins. Calculation by our editors from the Crash.net standings.

In the UK, TNT Sports holds MotoGP rights in 2026, with streaming through HBO Max. In the US, Fox Sports has MotoGP in 2026, with races on FS1 or FS2 and streaming on the Fox Sports app; check the Fox schedule for the exact channel. The official MotoGP VideoPass is the other streaming option where it is available. Sources: Crash.net, RTR Sports, Fox Sports.

Alex Marquez (Gresini Ducati) won the 2025 Grand Prix at Sepang on 26 October 2025, 2.676s ahead of Pedro Acosta (KTM), with Joan Mir (Honda) third after Francesco Bagnaia retired with three laps to go. Bagnaia had won the Saturday Sprint from pole. Fermin Aldeguer crossed the line third in the Sprint but lost the position to a tyre-pressure penalty. Marc Marquez, already champion, was absent injured. Sources: Crash.net results, Roadracing World.

Expect heat and humidity, with late-afternoon thunderstorms a regular risk in this part of Malaysia, which is exactly when the 3pm Sprint and Grand Prix are scheduled. In 2012 the MotoGP race was red-flagged with seven laps left because of aquaplaning and poor visibility. We did not find a reliable race-weekend forecast at the time of writing; check the Malaysian Meteorological Department closer to the date. Sources: Motorcycle News, Crash.net.

The official Sepang ticket page lists Main Grandstand seats at RM345, K1 Grandstand at RM206.25, F Grandstand at RM143.75 and the Marc Marquez Tribune (K1) at RM256.25, with Premier Seat (RM640) sold out. Friday 30 October is free entry to all seat zones. Prices and availability change, so check tickets.sepangcircuit.com before buying. The 2025 event drew a record 190,977 fans over the weekend. Source: Sepang International Circuit.

Three: Qatar at Lusail (6-8 November), Portugal at Portimao (20-22 November) and the Valencia finale (27-29 November). Qatar was moved from April because of the situation in the Middle East. Reuters reported on 23 October that MotoGP is pressing ahead with it despite regional tensions and concerns among riders; if it were cancelled, 37 points would disappear from the run-in. Malaysia itself is secure: on 1 July 2026 MotoGP announced a new contract keeping the race at Sepang from 2027 to 2031. Sources: MotoGP.com, Reuters, Grande Premio.