MotoGP: Marquez victorious as Rossi crashes from lead

Marc Marquez took victory in the Malaysian MotoGP race at Sepang, beating Suzuki rider Alex Rins and Tech 3 Yamaha’s Johann Zarco. Valentino Rossi, starting from the middle of the front row, led every single lap until he crashed out at turn one with just four laps remaining.

Rossi led into turn one, with Johann Zarco a close 2nd place. Marc Marquez made a safe but steady start down field in 7th place, whilst Jack Miller was top Ducati in 3rd. 3rd on the grid, Andrea Iannone crashed out at the final corner after Marc Marquez – directly ahead of him – had a moment. 

Before long, Marquez was up into 2nd place but Valentino Rossi was consistent in lap times, lapping an incredible 10 consecutive laps in the 2.00.0s bracket. 

However, in front of a packed Rossi Fan Grandstand at turn one, The Doctor tipped off, as Marquez applied the pressure. What looked like a win resulted in an 18th place and his first finish outside the points since Argentina in April.

Marquez was left to cruise home, but the battle for 2nd place was not done yet. Alex Rins caught the Tech 3 Yamaha of Johann Zarco and passed him with a lap remaining. In 4th, Maverick Vinales powered through and moved closer to catching Rossi in the championship, the 39-year-old Italian now consigned to 3rd overall at best. 

In 5th place, it was a strong ride from Dani Pedrosa, although he has failed to achieve one last podium in MotoGP so far this year and only has one race left to do so in Valencia – where he won last year. 6th place was Andrea Dovizioso, who secures 2nd overall, with Alvaro Bautista once again in the top ten with 7th. 

Pramac Ducati riders Jack Miller and Danilo Petrucci were 8th and 9th but a fantastic ride from Hafizh Syahrin saw him come from the back of the grid to 10th, having been 11th at the end of lap one. It is his 2nd top ten in three races

“It was a hard race, first of all because I was starting from seventh place. I didn’t get a perfect start, and then my first lap was good but not one of the best of my career. Step by step, I overtook some riders and got to second place,” said Marquez, with his first win at Sepang since 2014.

“I saw that Valentino was pushing and I started to chase him, lapping at qualifying pace! But in the process, I overheated the rear tyre; the front was also warming up quickly and the feeling wasn’t good. So for a few laps, I just tried to cool down and in so doing I began to feel better and better. I saw I was getting closer to Valentino and honestly that gave me extra motivation. At that moment, it was just a matter of instinct and pushing, something that you can do when you’ve already got the Championship.

“Unfortunately, he made a little mistake in turn one, which is a shame as it would have been nice to see how the duel would have ended. Anyway, when I saw him crash, I just cooled down and focused on finishing the race. We won, and that was the best way to seal the Constructors Championship. I would also like to congratulate Jorge Martin and “Pecco” Bagnaia for taking Championships. We’ll celebrate together in Valencia.”