The Malaysian MotoGP looks like being a bit of a thriller and hard to predict with storms and heavy rain set to play a major part in the final outcome at Sepang.
Qualifying was dominated by the Marquez brothers, as Alex pipped brother Marc to pole position, but the big news was that title contender Jorge Martin was forced to withdraw due to a broken right wrist sustained in a crash in the Sprint Race in Australia a week ago.
That left Martin absent as the field lined up for the Sprint at Sepang, where Alex Marquez was unable to cash in on pole position as he crashed out on the third lap, while sibling Marc had to settle for second place for Ducati Lenovo.
Victory went to Pedro Acosta for the KTM Factory Racing team, as he showed superb bike control in the wet to come home more than half a second clear of Marc Marquez, who now leads the MotoGP riders' standings by 19 points from the sidelined Martin.
MotoGP Malaysia Tips Summary
Best Bet - Pedro Acosta win and each-way @ 5/1
Alternative Bet - Marco Bezzecchi win and each-way @ 6/1
MotoGP Malaysia Prediction
Best Bet: Pedro Acosta win and each-way @ 5/1
Marc Marquez has taken charge of the race for the world title in recent times due to the misfortune of 2024 world champion Martin and he is the 4/7 favourite to take the chequered flag at Sepang on Sunday.
However, with him having not won in Malaysia since 2018, there is plenty more value in siding with his fellow Spaniard Acosta, who excelled in a Sprint Race changed by stormy weather hitting the track.
Despite a series of podium finishes, Acosta only claimed his first Grand Prix victory in Austria just over a month ago, but more wins are certain to follow and he has a realistic chance of crossing the line first in Malaysia.
Acosta finished more than half a second clear of Marc Marquez in the dry-wet Sprint and, having qualified on the front row for the main race on Sunday, he has a perfect launchpad to challenge for a second success in four races.
Alternative Bet: Marco Bezzecchi win and each-way @ 6/1
Aprilia ace Marco Bezzecchi came home third in the Sprint Race on Saturday and now trails Marc Marquez by 52 points in the standings, with just three more Grands Prix scheduled to take place after the dust has settled at Sepang.
That means he will have to go all-out to try to challenge at the head of the field and he showed his intent with a strong performance on Saturday, as at one point he was within touching distance of both Acosta and Marc Marquez.
Bezzecchi has already won five races this season, including the last one completed, in Indonesia, so he clearly has the pace to make a charge at Sepang.
The main negative is that the Italian has struggled on his previous visits to this track, having failed to finish any higher than fourth in his four MotoGP outings at Sepang.
That stat has to be improved upon if Bezzecchi is to retain any realistic hope of landing a first world title, having finished in third place in the standings in both 2023 and 2025.
Key Race Stats
Ducati have won the last four stagings of the Malaysian MotoGP
Marc Marquez has won the race twice, in 2014 and 2018
Marco Bezzecchi has not finished on the podium in four attempts at Sepang
Pedro Acosta came home second 12 months ago as Alex Marquez took the win
Valentino Rossi is the record six-time winner of the Malaysian MotoGP
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
