Sports

Marquez Extends Lead to 44 Points After Malaysian Victory

By Reuters

Marc Marquez won the Malaysian Grand Prix, extending his championship lead to 44 points over Jorge Martin, who missed the race after a wrist fracture. The Ducati rider launched from the front, passing his brother Alex at the first corner and never looked back, finishing more than four seconds ahead. The win moved Marquez to 399 points in the standings. If he can increase his advantage to 74 points at next week’s Qatar Grand Prix, he could secure an eighth MotoGP title with two races remaining. "We did a perfect race, so I’m super, super happy," Marquez said. "But my mentality still cannot change. I have to keep focus, keep pushing. There are not many races to go, but there are many moments left. So we must be super confident." Pedro Acosta won the sprint and finished second, while Gresini’s Alex Marquez came third. Marco Bezzecchi finished sixth after being passed late by Ai Ogura and Enea Bastianini. Jorge Martin, the main title rival, had attempted to practice Saturday but withdrew from qualifying to continue recovering from a wrist injury sustained in a crash at Phillip Island. The season will move to the Lusail International Circuit for the Qatar Grand Prix next weekend, which is scheduled to run despite rider concerns over the conflict between the United States and Israel over Iran.