The party continued for BK8 Gresini Racing and their weekend at the Malaysian Grand Prix, with Álex Márquez taking the lead early on to win at Sepang. Pedro Acosta pushed to make it from the second row to second place. Joan Mir secured his second podium over the last four rounds, coming in third place. All three riders expressed their sentiments to the Moto3 riders injured in a sighting lap incident earlier in the day. Some strategy decisions paid off, while others left them scratching their heads. Read on below to see how the MotoGP race unfolded.
Tyre Choice and Management to Make or Break
The majority of the riders had chosen to go to the grid with the soft rear tyre, making management crucial as temperatures rose. There were some discrepancies in the front tyre choice: the majority again chose the soft, while a handful selected the medium compound. As Fermín Aldeguer found out on Saturday, keeping an eye on tyre pressure is key. An eight-second penalty demoted the #54 from the podium in the sprint race.
It wasn’t just tyres that riders had to look out for, though. As we’ve seen in the past, several mechanical and technical issues could take a rider from a grand prix victory to retirement tragedy. After managing to win the Saturday Tissot Sprint with ride height device issues, eyes were on the polesitter, Francesco Bagnaia, to see if he could finish the final flyaway round the same way he started — a double win weekend.
Early Race Attacks Put Pressure on Bagnaia
Bagnaia and Acosta nailed the start off the line once again, as Franco Morbidelli once again fell down the order. That left him to come into near contact with Mir, the Spaniard allowing the #21 to pass at Turn 14. The battle continued going into the second lap, while Á. Márquez decided to take an early race pass at Bagnaia to lead the race. The #63 chased the championship runner-up while fending off the rear guard action of Acosta.
This battle continued as Bagnaia waited for the medium front tyre to bite on the Sepang circuit. Mir was gaining on Fabio Quartararo, with the two making ground to catch up to the top trio. Pol Espagaró ended his Malaysian GP in Sector 2, a quarter of the way through the race. The front end of his KTM washed out and rolled into the gravel. Gap bubbles started to form between rider packs, contending for crucial race points where possible. There was a tight chase for eighth, following Johann Zarco in the mid-pack, with Fabio Di Giannantonio, Luca Marini, Brad Binder, Marco Bezzecchi, and Enea Bastianini among the followers.
Mid-Pack Changes and Crashes Midway
Rear grip started to fade for some at the halfway point of the race. Mir was quick to take advantage of a forced mistake from Quartararo, speeding away with Acosta in his sights. Di Giannantonio overtook Zarco on the main straight shortly before yellow flags came out in Sector 3. Miguel Oliveria came down at Turn 9 briefly after tussling with his Pramac Yamaha teammate, Jack Miller. Seven days after the highlight of his MotoGP career at Phillip Island, Raúl Fernández crashed in Sector 1. With Mir gone ahead, Quartararo was left open for Morbidelli to come back. The two had some close calls, but it was the #20 who had to concede. At the front, Acosta finally got the leg up on Bagnaia as the #63 lost significant pace. A day after being crowned Rookie of the Year, Aldeguer started to slip and slide on the track as he struggled to keep upright. Di Giannantonio quickly caught up and picked him off.
Final Laps See Sprint Podium Finishers Out of Race Contention
As Á. Márquez led by over two seconds ahead, Bagnaia ran out of pace, falling further behind Acosta and into the clutches of Mir. In the mid pack, Zarco was now holding onto tenth with four riders chasing behind and ready to pass him. Bezzecchi was the first to take the chance, followed by Ai Ogura. It was a long time coming, but Aldeguer trailbraked into Turn 15 and ended his Malaysian GP in the kitty litter. Suddenly, Bagnaia was found cruising around the circuit after feeling something fail spectacularly on the rear of his Ducati Lenovo Team machine. While it hasn’t been confirmed if it was the ride height device or a puncture, the issue was enough for the #63 to bow out and leave the third-place podium to Mir.
Final Back-to-Back Incoming
Twenty races down. Two to go. With the Márquez brothers taking out first and second in the 2025 World MotoGP Championships, all that’s left is to crown third. Bezzecchi didn’t have the best performance, but he at least gained points to take back third in the standings, while Bagnaia had no choice but to retire. With Marc Márquez ruled out for the remainder of the season, who will step up to take a win in the final two rounds? Catch your breath and tune back in when MotoGP returns to Europe to go racing in Portugal.