Alex Marquez takes Sepang pole as injured Martin withdraws from Malaysian GP

Alex Marquez grabbed pole position at the Malaysian MotoGP on Saturday, denying Jorge Martin after the 2024 champion withdrew from the weekend to continue recovering from a wrist fracture. Riding for Gresini Racing, Alex secured his third career MotoGP pole and his first of the season with a final flying lap of 1:56.493 at Sepang International Circuit. Marc Marquez finished second, 0.070s behind, after rising from fifth. Pedro Acosta completed the front row for KTM. Aprilia’s Ai Ogura and Marco Bezzecchi qualified fourth and fifth, respectively, while Fabio Di Giannantonio was sixth. Martin briefly joined Saturday’s morning practice but did not take part in Q1, after doctors and the Aprilia team agreed to stop.