Malaysian MotoGP 2026: Marquez Tops Friday at Sepang as Injured Martin Is Passed Fit
Marc Marquez led Friday at the Petronas Grand Prix of Malaysia despite a crash, while Jorge Martin was passed fit to race six days after breaking his wrist. Standings, Friday results, Hakim Danish and the Sprint and race times in Malaysian time.
The MotoGP title fight has arrived at Sepang with a twist. Championship leader Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) topped Friday's Practice at the Petronas Grand Prix of Malaysia despite crashing early in the session, while his title rival Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing) was passed fit to race just six days after fracturing his right wrist in Australia. Martin sits 10 points behind Marquez with four rounds left including this one, and Saturday's Sprint starts at 3pm Malaysian time.
Key facts
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Event | Petronas Grand Prix of Malaysia, Round 19 of 22 |
| Venue | Petronas Sepang International Circuit, Selangor |
| Dates | 30 October to 1 November 2026 |
| Championship leader | Marc Marquez, 10 points ahead of Jorge Martin |
| Third in the standings | Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing), 50 points behind Marquez |
| Friday Practice fastest | Marc Marquez, 1:57.000 |
| Tissot Sprint | Saturday 31 October, 3pm |
| Grand Prix | Sunday 1 November, 3pm, 20 laps |
How Australia changed the title race
Martin arrived at Phillip Island leading the championship. In Saturday's Sprint he fought Marquez for the lead for seven laps, swapping positions several times, before he tucked the front at Turn 8 on lap 8 and crashed out. Marquez won the Sprint ahead of his brother Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing) and Fabio Di Giannantonio (VR46), which put him back in front in the standings.
Martin suffered a non-displaced fracture of the distal radius in his right wrist and was ruled out of the rest of the weekend. Then on Sunday, the MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 races at Phillip Island were all cancelled because poor visibility stopped the medical helicopter from flying. The riders did a lap of honour instead, which was also home hero Jack Miller's last MotoGP appearance in Australia. That left Marquez 10 points clear heading to Malaysia.
Martin: passed fit, but sore
Martin passed a medical check at Sepang on Thursday that cleared him for the first session only. In Free Practice 1 on Friday morning he completed 12 laps and finished 1.8 seconds off Marquez's pace, and doctors then declared him fit for the rest of the weekend.
Friday afternoon was harder. Martin pulled in after just three laps of Practice and sat out the rest of the session, which means he will have to go through Q1 on Saturday. He returns for FP2 on Saturday morning to see how the wrist holds up. On Thursday he said that if he were not fighting for the title, his arm would be in a cast.
Friday at Sepang: Marquez fastest despite a crash
Marc Marquez also led Free Practice 1, 0.4 seconds clear of Bezzecchi and Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM). In the afternoon Practice session, which decides who goes straight into Q2, he crashed at Turn 15 inside the first third of the session, came back out and set a 1:57.000 to top the timesheets by nearly four tenths.
The top ten who go directly to Q2:
- Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team)
- Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing)
- Ai Ogura (Trackhouse)
- Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM)
- Fabio Di Giannantonio (VR46)
- Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing)
- Enea Bastianini (Red Bull KTM Tech3)
- Maverick Viñales (Red Bull KTM Tech3)
- Franco Morbidelli (VR46)
- Joan Mir (Honda HRC), back after illness
Two big names missed out after late crashes: Johann Zarco (LCR Honda) was 11th, just 0.187 seconds short, and two-time champion Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) was 12th. Both join Martin in Q1. Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse) rode in FP1 but was then declared unfit because of the fingers he broke in Indonesia, and he will miss the rest of the weekend. Luca Marini (Honda HRC) is back after missing Australia.
Home hope: Hakim Danish fourth in Moto3
Malaysia's Hakim Danish (AEON Credit MT Helmets MSI) was fourth fastest in Moto3 Practice on Friday, behind David Almansa (Intact GP), rookie Rico Salmela (Red Bull KTM Tech3) and Veda Pratama (Honda Team Asia). The top three were covered by less than a tenth of a second. Moto3 qualifying is at 12:45pm on Saturday and the race at 12pm on Sunday. In Moto2, championship leader Manuel Gonzalez (Intact GP) topped Friday's Practice, with title rival Izan Guevara (Pramac Yamaha) fourth.
Weekend schedule (Malaysian time)
| Day | Session | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday 31 Oct | Moto3 FP2 | 8:40am |
| Saturday 31 Oct | Moto2 FP2 | 9:25am |
| Saturday 31 Oct | MotoGP FP2 | 10:10am |
| Saturday 31 Oct | MotoGP qualifying (Q1, then Q2) | 10:50am |
| Saturday 31 Oct | Moto3 qualifying | 12:45pm |
| Saturday 31 Oct | Moto2 qualifying | 1:40pm |
| Saturday 31 Oct | MotoGP Tissot Sprint | 3pm |
| Sunday 1 Nov | MotoGP Warm Up | 10:40am |
| Sunday 1 Nov | Moto3 race (15 laps) | 12pm |
| Sunday 1 Nov | Moto2 race | 1:15pm |
| Sunday 1 Nov | MotoGP Grand Prix (20 laps) | 3pm |
Heading to the circuit? Our earlier guide covers tickets, shuttle buses and Sepang's 200,000-visitor target for the weekend.
What to watch on Saturday
- Martin's wrist. FP2 is the first real test after he stopped early on Friday, and he has to get through Q1 to start near the front.
- The Q1 queue. Martin, Bagnaia and Zarco are all fighting for the two places in Q2, so expect a busy session.
- Weather. Sepang's afternoon storms can arrive around 3pm, when both the Sprint and the Grand Prix start then.
Sources: MotoGP.com reports on the Australian Sprint (24 October), the Phillip Island cancellation (24 to 26 October), Media Day at Sepang (29 October), Martin's fitness updates (29 and 30 October), Friday Practice in all three classes and the official time schedule (28 and 30 October). Standings are as published by MotoGP.com before Round 19.