Spanish rider Alex Marquez of the Gresini Racing team pulled off a huge surprise by winning the sprint race at the Malaysian Grand Prix today, Saturday, overtaking world champion Francesco Bagnaia, who leads the overall standings, and his direct rival Spanish rider Jorge Martin of the Pramac Racing team. Martin and Bagnaia finished in second and third places, respectively.
Bagnaia, who is seeking to win the world championship for the second time, dominated the first half of the race after starting from pole position at the international circuit but could not withstand a late surge from Marquez, who started from fourth place.
This result reduces the gap between Bagnaia and Martin to 11 points before the last three races of the season. Enea Bastianini finished fourth in the sprint race, ensuring that Ducati bikes occupied the top four positions, while Brad Binder from the KTM team, hailing from South Africa, finished fifth, making him the best performer after the Ducati bikes.
Australian rider Jack Miller came in sixth place, while Marco Bezzecchi, also a title contender, finished seventh. Bezzecchi is currently in third place in the championship standings. Former six-time world champion Marc Marquez faced further troubles, suffering his 27th crash of the season.
