With rain threatening the Sprint race at the 2026 Sepang MotoGP, Pedro Acosta of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing beat Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) by 0.5 of a second at Sepang International Circuit. Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) completed the podium in third, while championship leader Marc Marquez extended his advantage to 19 points over the absent Jorge Martin who pulled out of this weekend’s racing.
The 10-lap Sprint was marked by intermittent rain, with riders facing a gamble over whether to switch to wet-weather tyres. Acosta, Marc Marquez and Bezzecchi stayed on slicks, which proved the right call. Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) initially led from pole position, ahead of Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) and his brother Marc.
Acosta moved into fourth before passing Marc Marquez on the opening lap. Rain arrived on Lap 2, prompting race control to display the white flag and allowing riders to change to their second motorcycles fitted with wet-weather tyres.
Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP) was among the first to pit, but his replacement bike was not ready. Alex Marquez, meanwhile, crashed at Turn 14 while leading, handing the advantage to Ogura. Acosta quickly closed in on the Japanese rider, with Marc Marquez and Bezzecchi also in contention.
Joan Mir, Iker Lecuona and Franco Morbidelli gambled on wet tyres, but the leading group stayed out as much of the circuit remained dry. With four laps remaining, Acosta took the lead from Ogura. Marc Marquez then moved past the Trackhouse rider for second, while Bezzecchi followed into third.
Ogura attempted to fight back but could not regain the positions, eventually finishing fourth. Acosta held his advantage to the chequered flag to claim his second Sprint victory of the season while Bezzecchi took third, ahead of Ogura and Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team).
Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) finished sixth, followed by Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Diogo Moreira (Pro Honda LCR) and Enea Bastianini (Red Bull KTM Tech3), who completed the points finishers. The result is significant for the championship battle at Sepang with Marc Marquez now leading Martin by 19 points, while Bezzecchi sits 52 points behind the Spaniard in third.
