Sepang winner David Alonso complains: “I only put 73 kg on the rear wheel”

At the top of the Moto2 World Championship, we are witnessing two battles: whilst Manuel Gonzalez and Izan Guevara are fighting it out for the title, third place will be decided amongst Ivan Ortola, David Alonso and Daniel Holgado.

In qualifying, Holgado missed his own lap record from last year by a hair’s breadth; in the race, he led the field right from the start. That lasted until the sixth lap, when his Aspar team-mate Alonso took the lead – and immediately pulled away.

When the chequered flag was waved after 17 laps, Alonso was 1.932 seconds ahead of Holgado and 3.566 seconds ahead of Angel Piqueras, meaning all three podium places went to chassis manufacturer Kalex. World Championship leaders Gonzalez and Guevara finished fifth and fourth respectively.

David Alonso injured his right leg

For Alonso, it was his second win of the year after Assen, his 21st Grand Prix victory across all classes. “I maintained a high level of concentration throughout the race and was able to battle well,” summarised the 20-year-old Red Bull rider. “But it was particularly difficult between laps 10 and 13; I nearly had a highside at one point and hurt my right leg in the process. However, I managed to find my rhythm again afterwards.”

As always in Malaysia, it was tropically hot, with the tarmac heating up to 53 degrees Celsius. These aren’t usually good conditions for Alonso. “I struggle when grip levels are low because I’m so light,” he explained. “Whilst others, fully kitted out, put 80 kilograms on the rear tyre, I only put 73 on mine. I had to adapt and couldn’t ride in my usual style. I really had to pull myself together, but it paid off. Over the weekend, I was able to improve significantly in some corners. We’ll face races like this in MotoGP too – it’s good that I’ve already had this experience.”

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06.11.2026 - 10:55

David Alonso will join the LCR Honda MotoGP team in 2027, where he’ll be sharing a pit with Johann Zarco. In the Moto2 World Championship, he’s in the running for third place overall. With his victory at Sepang, he overtook Holgado and is now one point ahead of him in fourth place overall. Alonso is 8.5 points behind Ortola in third place.