MOTOGP: ALEX MARQUEZ SEALS RUNNER-UP SPOT,  BAGNAIA SHINES IN SEPANG SPRINT

SEPANG, Oct 25 (Bernama) -- BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP rider Alex Marquez has confirmed his status as the overall runner-up of this season's MotoGP championship after finishing second in the sprint race in the Malaysia Grand Prix (GP) 2025 at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) here today.

The younger brother of 2025 MotoGP champion Marc Marquez claimed nine points from the podium finish, taking his total to 388 points despite two rounds remaining, the Portugal GP and Valencia GP.

Meanwhile, the battle for third overall has changed hands, with Ducati Lenovo Team rider Francesco Bagnaia (286 points) overtaking Aprilia Racing’s Marco Bezzecchi (285 points).

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Alex admitted he did not expect to achieve such a significant result, especially with his brother Marc still recovering from a shoulder injury that forced him to end his season early.

“History with Marcwho is at home. So really happy and now we need to enjoy. We have three races in front of us to enjoy, to try things next year for sure but especially to celebrate,” he told reporters after the sprint race.

Earlier, the 10-lap sprint race was won by Bagnaia in 19 minutes 53.725 seconds, followed by Alex (19:55.984s) and his teammate Fermin Aldeguer (19:56.863s) in third.

Bagnaia, who is also the defending champion at the Sepang circuit, expressed his delight after a difficult run, having failed to finish in the recent Indonesia and Australia GPs.

“Last week we struggled a lot. Even yesterday I still had a little bit of trouble but today I was more competitive. We just need to understand what exactly happened, because I don’t think we’ve ever had a situation like this before.

“We need to focus and understand the situation as best we can. I tried something different this weekend, and the change gave me more confidence and a better feeling when riding,” he said.

The main MotoGP Malaysia race will take place tomorrow.

-- BERNAMA