MotoGP Malaysia, Alex Marquez on pole ahead of his brother Marc and Acosta

Marc Marquez took advantage of the injury-related withdrawal of his championship rival, Jorge Martin, and won a front row seat for the Malaysian MotoGP Grand Prix, while his brother Alex Marquez took pole position. The Ducati-Gresini team rider, Alex, set the best time in qualifying in 1'56"493, preceding his older brother Marc by 0"070. Pedro Acosta finished in third place, followed by the Japanese Ai Ogura and Marco Bezzecchi.

Marquez can get ahead of Martin

Marc Marquez, aboard the Ducati, has a prime opportunity to increase his 10-point championship lead over Martin, having secured a front row position for both today's sprint race and tomorrow's main race. His compatriot Martin arrived in Malaysia with a fractured wrist, however managing to complete the first free practice session yesterday in Sepang. However, the Aprilia rider was only able to complete a limited number of laps this afternoon and morning, and then did not take to the track during qualifying. The Aprilia Racing team manager, Paolo Bonora, explained that the rider was not able to exert the necessary force on the bike during the braking phases; he will now return to Spain to evaluate his conditions in view of the Qatar GP, scheduled for next week. After the stage in Malaysia, only three race weekends remain until the end of the championship.