Alex Marquez wins Malaysia MotoGP ahead of Acosta and Mir

SEPANG (Agencies): Gresini Racing’s Alex Marquez won the Malaysian Grand Prix on Sunday, finishing ahead of KTM’s Pedro Acosta and Honda’s Joan Mir, to claim his third victory of the season. Marquez, who secured the championship runner-up spot with his sprint result on Saturday, delivered a faultless ride in sweltering conditions at the Sepang International Circuit, adding to his two Grand Prix wins in Spain. Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia, who started on pole and won Saturday’s sprint, was forced to retire three laps from the end due to a suspected technical issue while running third, allowing 2020 world champion Mir to claim third place, his second podium finish of the year. Marquez, who had been leading since the second lap, crossed the line 2.676 seconds clear of Acosta, and 8.048 seconds ahead of Mir. World champion Marc Marquez, Alex’s brother, remains sidelined through injury. “My homework was to attack early today. Yesterday it was my mistake not to attack at the beginning. I had a few opportunities but I did not decide to take it,” Marquez said. “I didn’t have everything 100% clear yesterday, I was thinking I need to secure my second position in the Championship but now I’m more relaxed. “I lose one race here, two years ago, by waiting too much. So I decide to go for it. I’m really happy. It’s a really important win for us to celebrate the second (overall).” Twice MotoGP champion Bagnaia had moved ahead of Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi for third place in the world championship standings after Saturday’s sprint win. However, the Italian failed to finish Sunday’s main race due to a suspected puncture in his rear tyre and earned no points, allowing Bezzecchi to regain third place in the championship standings. The pair are currently split by five points. The next race takes place in Portimao, Portugal, from November 7–9, before the season concludes in Valencia.