MOTOGP: ALEX MARQUEZ DESCRIBES SEPANG WIN AS ‘NEAR PERFECT RACE’

SEPANG, Oct 26 (Bernama) -- BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP rider Alex Marquez believes he pulled off a “near perfect race”, following some early setbacks during a challenging weekend, to romp to victory in the 2025 Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix (MotoGP) at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) here today.

Spaniard Marquez, who started from second on the grid moved past Francesco Bagnaia of Ducati Lenovo in the second lap before pulling away, admitted that early crashes during Friday’s practice session almost derailed his rhythm and confidence.

“I mean it's true that I made a mistake this weekend, you know, expecting things to be too easy and later on when you start the weekend with a crash already in Free Practice 1, (and) again a crash in the practice, it was quite complicated.

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“During the weekend, we turned things around in quite a good way. So, today the plan was clear. We improved a little bit the feeling on the warm-up and later on I was clever on the plan to attack Pecco (Bagnaia) in the second lap and then just try to manage the tyres until the end,” he told the post-race press conference.

Meanwhile, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pedro Acosta, who finished second, said the race was physically demanding but rewarding.

Third-placed Joan Mir of Honda HRC Castrol, on the other hand, said the sweltering heat and tyre management made it one of the toughest races of his career, but was pleased to secure his second podium finish after Japanese GP last month.

With today’s win, Alex has now amassed 413 points to be placed behind his brother - world champion Marc Marquez of Ducati Lenovo Team.

Marc, who is out for the rest of the season due to injury, leads with 545 points.

Marco Bezzecchi of Aprilia Racing is third with 291 points while Bagnaia, who was forced to retire in lap 13 today, is fourth with 286 points in the world championships standings after 20 races.

Acosta is in fifth place with 260 points while Mir is in 15th place with 93 points.

There are two more races to go - the GP of Portugal at the Algarve International Circuit from Nov 7-9; and the GP of Valencia at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit from Nov 14-16.

-- BERNAMA