Safe points for the Repsol Honda Team in Sepang Moto GP 2022

Qualifying, Round 19, Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix
Malaysia, October 26, 2022: An energetic start to the Malaysian GP saw both Marc Marquez and Pol Espargaro settle into safe point-scoring positions on a Sunday full of risk.

Predicted thunderstorms did not arrive at the Sepang International Circuit and the 20-lap MotoGP race got underway as clouds filled the sky and the air hung heavy with humidity. From the front row of the grid, Marc Marquez made an impressive initial launch before losing positions into the tight and treacherous Turn 1.

The #93 sat with the leading group for the opening laps and protected his position in the top five. By lap seven he became entangled in a brawl with both Suzuki riders and Bezzecchi, the eight-time World Champion holding the trio off as Miller approached. Their battle for fifth place would carry on until the end of the race with Marquez crossing the line in seventh place, his fourth straight top-ten finish since returning from injury.

Further back, Pol Espargaro made an equally strong start to the race and immediately made up the ground lost due to his penalty from FP1. Like his teammate, Espargaro fought hard in the opening laps to protect his early gains and settled into his rhythm fighting for the remaining points. Taking the flag in 14th, the #44 leaves the flyaways with two more points and prepares for his swansong on the Honda RC213V in Valencia.

Race day was marked by the remembrance ceremony for Red Bull co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz who sadly passed away.

Now just a single race awaits before the demanding 2022 MotoGP World Championship season comes to an end. A final push for the Repsol Honda Team before preparations for the 2023 season fully consume the team and a chance to enjoy a final race with Pol Espargaro in Repsol Honda Team colours.

Marc Marquez (7th)

“As I said yesterday, what we did in Qualifying was above and beyond and this is more or less what I was expecting from our race. We gave our 100% all race to achieve the best possible result, we started really well but I saw I didn’t have the speed to stay with the leaders. I tried to find my place and avoid taking any unneeded risks and get some good information from the race. I did everything that Honda asked me so I am optimistic they will use this information to improve in the future. Now we can start to prepare for Valencia after a difficult weekend, because here we could see the level of our bike. I think we can be closer in Valencia.”

Pol Espargaro (14th)

“It was a hard one today, especially with the temperature. It was not as hot as in previous years but the humidity was really high all the same. We started in P20 and had to be aggressive in the first laps to make up some ground. Finally we were able to get two points here, gaining six places. Now the attention turns to Valencia where I have been strong in the past and I think it will suit our bike better.”

Malaysian Grand Prix – Race Results

Pos.

Rider

Num

Nation

Points

Team

Constructor

Time/Gap

1

BAGNAIA FRANCESCO

62

ITA

25

Ducati Lenovo Team

Ducati

40’14.332

2

BASTIANINI ENEA

23

ITA

20

Team Gresini Racing MotoGP

Ducati

0.27

3

QUARTARARO FABIO

20

FRA

16

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP

Yamaha

2.773

4

BEZZECCHI MARCO

73

ITA

13

Mooney VR46 Racing Team

Ducati

5.446

5

RINS ALEX

42

SPA

11

Team Suzuki Ecstar

Suzuki

11.923

6

MILLER JACK

43

AUS

10

Ducati Lenovo Team

Ducati

13.472

7

MARQUEZ MARC

93

SPA

9

Repsol Honda Team

Honda

14.304

8

BINDER BRAD

33

RSA

8

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

KTM

16.805

9

ZARCO JOHANN

5

FRA

7

Pramac Racing

Ducati

18.358

10

ESPARGARO ALEIX

41

SPA

6

Aprilia Racing

Aprilia

21.591

11

MORBIDELLI FRANCO

21

ITA

5

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP

Yamaha

23.235

12

CRUTCHLOW CAL

35

GBR

4

WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team

Yamaha

24.641

13

OLIVEIRA MIGUEL

88

POR

3

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

KTM

24.918

14

ESPARGARO POL

44

SPA

2

Repsol Honda Team

Honda

25.586

15

FERNANDEZ RAUL

25

SPA

1

Tech 3 KTM Factory Racing

KTM

27.039

16

VINALES MAVERICK

12

SPA

0

Aprilia Racing

Aprilia

30.427

17

MARQUEZ ALEX

73

SPA

0

LCR Honda

Honda

33.322

18

GARDNER REMY

87

AUS

0

Tech 3 KTM Factory Racing

KTM

33.691

19

MIR JOAN

36

SPA

0

Team Suzuki Ecstar

Suzuki

41.838

20

BINDER DARRYN

40

RSA

0

WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team

Yamaha

DNF

21

DI GIANNANTONIO FABIO

49

ITA

0

Team Gresini Racing MotoGP

Ducati

DNF

22

MARTIN JORGE

89

SPA

0

Pramac Racing

Ducati

DNF

23

NAGASHIMA TETSUTA

45

JPN

0

LCR Honda

Honda

DNF

24

MARINI LUCA

10

ITA

0

Mooney VR46 Racing Team

Ducati

DNF