World Champion Marquez (Ducati) ahead of the Malaysian GP: “The time has come”

On the day before the first practice session for the Malaysian Grand Prix, the fourth-last round of the MotoGP calendar, Marc Marquez got straight to the point. ‘MM93’, reflecting on the events at Phillip Island that saw him take the lead in the championship following his victory in the sprint race: “We’ve reached a stage in the championship where the time has come to take risks too. That’s what I did at Phillip Island. Apart from that, the mindset is always the same – to get the best out of the weekend.”

The big news of the day: title rival Jorge Martin, who crashed spectacularly out of the Australian Sprint less than a week ago, was given the green light to ride the factory Aprilia in FP1. Marc Márquez: “I’m delighted that Jorge is here. It’s only natural that he should give it a go, and our regulations allow him to do so. One thing is certain: once Jorge is out on the track, he’ll be very fast very quickly.”

Marc Marquez mit Aprilia-Pilot Marco Bezzecchi

Foto: Gold and Goose

During the opening press conference in Sepang, the multiple world champion was also asked about his brother Alex, who is regarded as a specialist on this circuit and finished on the podium in both races last year, taking top spot in the Grand Prix. Is the older brother counting on his ‘little brother’ as a key ally in the world championship battle? Marc Márquez took a middle ground: “Alex is here to win races, just like me. There are situations where brothers don’t need to talk about it. We’ll see how the weekend and then the races unfold.”

Marquez, who doesn’t count Sepang amongst his favourite circuits – having yet to secure a victory there since his move to Ducati – is no stranger to the Kuala Lumpur circuit’s speciality. “My results here have been a bit up and down, but even on the Ducati I’ve been competitive recently, not far behind Jorge and Pecco in terms of speed. The point is, at Sepang you need a qualifying lap and a full Grand Prix distance – two different riding styles.

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MotoGP World Championship

30.10.2026 - 01:55

The key difference: Marc Márquez leads the World Championship with 365 points. His lead over Aprilia rider Jorge Martín stands at 10 points. Runner-up Alex Marquez is in 8th place. He trails Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse-Aprilia), who is ahead of him, by 55 points alone.