2025 Malaysia GP Race Report

October 27, 2025

MOTOGP - SPRINT
A perfect Saturday at Sepang for Bagnaia: after pole, he wins the Sprint

Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) dominated the Tissot Sprint at the Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix: he started from pole and held the lead from start to finish. Second place went to Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP), mathematically securing the runner-up spot in the world championship. Third place went to Fermín Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP), who, however, was handed an eight-second penalty after the checkered flag for improper tire pressure and slipped to seventh place. The Spaniard still took the Rookie of the Year title. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) completed the day's podium.

Bagnaia, from 0 to 100.
Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) started from pole and delivered a dominant and spectacular race. Behind him in the early stages were Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) and Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), who started from the second row. Acosta passes Marquez and moves into second place, while Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol) follows closely behind. Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team), who started third, loses ground in the early stages and falls to fifth. Pedro Acosta is overtaken by Alex Marquez, while Bagnaia leads with a one-and-a-half-second advantage.

Further
back, but still in the points zone, are Fermín Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP), Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team), Johann Zarco (CASTROL LCR Honda), Pol Espargaró (Red Bull KTM Tech3), and Luca Marini (Honda HRC Castrol). Meanwhile, Joan Mir crashes and tries to catch Acosta. Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing), eliminated in Q1, moves into the top ten.

A duel between the Spaniards.
In the final three laps, Acosta had to hold onto third place from pressure from Aldeguer, who, however, overtook the KTM rider in the closing stages to claim the Rookie of the Year title. After the checkered flag, however, an eight-second penalty was handed to him, dropping him to seventh place.

It was a negative Saturday for the HRC Castrol team: shortly after Mir's crash, Marini also crashed following a contact with Pol Espargaró.

In the top ten,
Morbidelli and Quartararo finished behind Bagnaia, Alex Marquez, and Acosta. Bezzecchi finished sixth, followed by Aldeguer, Zarco, and Enea Bastianini (Red Bull KTM Tech3) rounding out the points. Tenth place went to Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team). Bezzecchi and Bagnaia are tied for third in the standings.

MOTOGP - RACE
Alex Marquez escapes and wins, dramatic turn of events for Francesco Bagnaia

Approximately twenty-four hours after mathematically securing his 2025 runner-up spot, Alex Marquez, with no pressure and a clear head, won the Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix, a race he was never in doubt about.

Starting from second on the grid and third in the opening meters, the Spaniard (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP™) closed in on the race leader after four corners and took the lead a lap later, overtaking poleman Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team). The Spaniard then made two decisive breakthroughs: the first in the opening laps, putting himself ahead of his pursuers by about a second, a lead that remained stable until the halfway point of the race. The other came on the twelfth of the scheduled 20 laps, further widening the gap over Bagnaia, who was soon destined to collapse.

Overtaking for second place.
The Borgo Panigale factory rider (who, unlike most of his colleagues, was riding a medium rather than a soft front tyre) was passed on lap thirteen by Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), who had followed him like a shadow until then. On lap three, while Alex Marquez was setting the pace unchallenged, the Spaniard attempted two attacks on his rival, who, however, managed to respond on both occasions to retake the lead.

Unexpected stop
. Then, with three laps to go, the dramatic turn of events occurred. The Italian, sitting in third place after being passed by Acosta, slowed and began looking towards the rear tyre. He ended his race early by returning to the pits.

Mir makes his way
. Joan Mir thus climbed to the third step of the podium, starting from seventh on the grid. The Honda HRC Castrol rider didn't have an easy time: early on, he had to show off his claws to get rid of Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team), who started from the front row. While climbing back up the order, he also had a close encounter with Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP), the two colliding shoulder to shoulder on the kerb exiting the final corner. The number 36 rider prevailed, catching Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), who was fourth at the time, and was then promoted to the podium following Bagnaia's retirement. The Frenchman, however, finished fifth behind Morbidelli.

Bastianini makes a comeback
. Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) finished sixth, followed by Enea Bastianini (Red Bull KTM Tech3), who repeated a familiar pattern: after a so-so practice session and a slow qualifying session, he climbed from nineteenth to seventh in the race.

Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) also made a solid improvement on Sunday, moving from eighteenth to ninth. Luca Marini (Honda HRC Castrol) finished eighth on the RC213V, sandwiched between the two Austrian RC16s.

Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP), who finished third yesterday at the checkered flag in the Tissot Sprint won by Bagnaia (the number 54 was later penalized for a technical irregularity), crashed. The rookie was never truly in the running and crashed while trying to get into the top five.

The MotoGP standings
The Sepang result makes third place in the championship increasingly uncertain: Acosta, fifth, with the 20 points he earned today, moves to within 31 of Bezzecchi, who is five points ahead of Bagnaia.

Enea Bastianini P7

My life is complicated! Starting on Friday, I was nervous because I didn't have confidence in the bike. On Saturday, we solved some problems in the sprint, and on Sunday we arrived prepared, ready to fight for the top 10. Starting from far away is difficult, I gave it my all, but it's hard to make up positions on that track because the front tire overheats more and more, but anyway, I'm happy with the work we did today. We still lack a bit of consistency, especially in time attacks, because every time we put on new tires, all the KTM riders improve, except me, so it's something we need to understand and I'm sure we can improve. Last year, I had the same problem and we solved it, so I'm confident we'll find a way to solve it with the KTM too."

Lorenzo Savadori P16

"It's a shame because I lost some time at the start battling with Chantra, because my pace in the first part of the race was good to stay with the group. After I stayed in the slipstream, temperatures rose and the tires wore out. We'll continue to try new things and have some ideas that we'll test on track in Jerez in two days during the private tests."

Augusto Fernandez P18

"It's been an intense weekend, and we've established a clear direction for the next test and the wildcard race weekend in Valencia, aiming to improve further. We've been working on the bike's balance, and we need to continue doing so to establish a baseline. This process will take some time, so we need to keep working hard."

MOTO2
Dixon celebrates at Sepang, Moreira soars to the top of the standings

Jake Dixon (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) wins the Moto2™ race at the Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix: the British rider prevails in Sepang, with overtaking moves, crashes, and changes in the World Championship standings. Second place goes to David Alonso (CFMOTO Aspar Team) ahead of Barry Baltus (Fantic Racing Lino Sonego). There's a major twist in the title fight: championship leader Manuel Gonzalez (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) crashes, handing the lead to Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team), who finished fifth today.

Holgado leads before the red flag
. Great starts for Barry Baltus (Fantic Racing Lino Sonego) and Daniel Holgado (CFMOTO Aspar Team), who takes the lead while Baltus quickly slips to seventh.

Behind Holgado are Albert Arenas (ITALJET Gresini Moto2), David Alonso (CFMOTO Aspar Team), Jake Dixon (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team), Tony Arbolino (Blu Cru Pramac Yamaha Moto2), and Manuel Gonzalez (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP), who has his world title rival Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team) in 11th place.

Joe Roberts (OnlyFans American Racing Team), Darryn Binder (ITALJET Gresini Moto2), and Dani Muñoz (Red Bull KTM Ajo) crashed in the early stages of the race. Roberts' crash brought out the red flag, but the American was fortunately unhurt. The

race
restarted after 11 laps, with Holgado reclaiming the lead ahead of Jake Dixon, Arenas, and Manuel Gonzalez, followed by David Alonso. Moreira was still 11th and must make up ground. Dixon and Arenas are battling it out for the podium. The Briton barely touches the Spaniard, who slips to fifth place behind Alonso and Baltus.

Dixon takes the lead, while Moreira makes a strong comeback
. Dixon gains more than half a second in one lap and passes Holgado, taking the lead with nine laps to go. Manuel Gonzalez passes Arenas and moves up to fifth, while Moreira is eighth. Aron Canet (Fantic Racing Lino Sonego), third in the championship, is 16th and therefore out of the points.

Manu Gonzalez is out.
Dixon extends his lead over Alonso, who in turn distances Holgado. Baltus is fourth, with Moreira behind him, chasing crucial championship points. With three laps to go, the big twist: Manuel Gonzalez crashes, and Moreira, in fifth, scores 11 key points, moving up to nine over his rival. Baltus finishes third

in the top ten,
ahead of Holgado and Moreira. Sixth place for Arenas, ahead of Dani Muñoz, Alex Escrig (KLINT Forward Factory Team), Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Tony Arbolino (Blu Cru Pramac Yamaha Moto2).

Diogo Moreira P5

"I'm really happy with the race and the weekend here in Malaysia. We're doing a fantastic job this year, and this result proves it. Now there are two races left: we need to stay calm, focus, and keep working as we've been doing so far."

MOTO3
First world championship victory for Furusato and first victory of the season for Honda

The Moto3™ race at the Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix in Sepang is taking place after a crash on the formation lap between José Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Noah Dettwiler (CIP Green Power). Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia) takes his first World Championship victory, and it's Honda's first win of the season. Furusato leads Angel Piqueras (Frinsa - MT Helmets - MSI) and Adrian Fernandez. Maximo Quiles (CFMOTO Aspar Team) is named Rookie of the Year.

Change of Plan
During the formation lap, a serious crash occurs between world champion José Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Noah Dettwiler (CIP Green Power), both of whom were taken to the hospital. This delay and a change of plan for Sunday's race in Malaysia will result, with Moto3 returning to the track for ten laps.

Start and early stages.
In a situation conditioned by what happened, the track returned with Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia) starting from second on the grid and taking the lead ahead of Maximo Quiles (CFMOTO Aspar Team) and poleman David Almansa (Leopard Racing). Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) finished fourth, closely followed by Angel Piqueras (Frinsa - MT Helmets - MSI) and Guido Pini (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP).

Overtaking and counter-overtaking in the leading group
. The leading group consisted of 11 riders, including Malaysian Danish. David Almansa took the lead ahead of Furusato, but the Japanese rider reclaimed the lead: the race continued with a series of overtaking and counter-overtaking moves.

Furusato took the lead, with Quiles leading
the field . At halfway through the race, Furusato, Pini, Quiles, Adrian Fernandez, and Piqueras gained almost a second on their pursuers. Furusato remains in the lead with a nearly half-second advantage, while the battle behind him heats up. Quiles pulls off a Marc Márquez-like stunt: with a great stunt, he avoids a near-certain crash but slips to seventh place.

Final stages and top ten:
With two laps to go, Pini contacts Adrian Fernandez and is passed by Piqueras. Furusato takes his first world championship victory ahead of Piqueras and Adrian Fernandez. Fourth place goes to Almansa, ahead of Ryusei Yamanaka (Frinsa - MT Helmets - MSI), Carpe, and Quiles, who is crowned Rookie of the Year. Eighth place goes to Scott Ogden (CIP Green Power), with Brian Uriarte (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) and Valentín Perrone (Red Bull KTM Tech3) also in the top ten.

Adrian Fernandez P3

“I'm very happy with our podium, but also quite sad about the accident during the warm-up lap. Today I can only send all our strength to José Antonio and Noah.”

David Almansa P4