The intense battle at Sepang Circuit kicked off as the qualifying session got underway for round 19 of the 2026 season. Alex Marquez set the pace and secured pole position for the Malaysian Grand Prix after dominating Saturday's qualifying with a blistering lap time of 1'56.493.
The Gresini rider is chasing back-to-back victories at Sepang following his stellar triumph in the previous edition. He will share the front row of the grid with his elder brother and factory Ducati rider, Marc Marquez, who currently holds a crucial 19-point lead at the top of the championship standings.
Meanwhile, his nearest title rival attempted to race in Sepang but was ultimately forced to withdraw from the weekend before qualifying even began. The Spanish contender has returned home to undergo treatment with the clear target of returning for next weekend's Qatar Grand Prix.
Joining the Marquez brothers on a highly competitive front row is KTM standout Pedro Acosta, who secured his second career sprint win earlier on Saturday. The young star aims to carry that momentum into Sunday's main race.
Further down the grid, Ai Ogura leads Aprilia's depleted line-up in fourth place, just ahead of factory rider Marco Bezzecchi, while Fabio di Giannantonio completes the second row in sixth. Enea Bastianini starts seventh, followed by top Honda runner Johann Zarco, with Franco Morbidelli and Francesco Bagnaia rounding out the top ten respectively.
Only 20 riders will take part in the Malaysian GP due to several notable absences. As reported by Motorsport.com, Raul Fernandez joined the list of absentees alongside Martin after pulling out following a handful of laps on Friday, while replacement riders have been drafted in to cover for missing entries.
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