Marquez wins Malaysian Grand Prix to close in on retaining championship

Marc Marquez takes 44-point lead over Jorge Martin and can seal the MotoGP title in Qatar next weekend.Published On 1 Nov 20261 Nov 2026Reigning ‌MotoGP champion Marc Marquez has won the Malaysian Grand Prix to ⁠take a 44-point lead over absent title rival Jorge Martin in the championship and inch closer to retaining his title.The Ducati rider shot out of the blocks and beat his brother Alex, the pole-sitter, into the ⁠opening turn on Sunday in Sepang.Alex Marquez was able to quickly regain the lead but ran wide a turn later to hand it back, and his brother made no mistakes from that point on to claim ⁠the chequered flag for the first ⁠time since 2018.Victory moved seven-time MotoGP champion Marc Marquez up to 399 points in the championship standings, 44 ahead of Martin, who did not compete after suffering a wrist fracture.If Marc Marquez is able to extend his lead to 74 points at next week’s Qatar Grand Prix, he could seal an eighth championship title ‌with two rounds remaining in the season.“We did a perfect race, so I’m super, super happy,” said the winner, who won the race by more than four seconds.“But my mentality still cannot change. I have to keep focus, keep pushing. There...