SEPANG: Spain’s Pedro Acosta claimed victory in the Malaysian Grand Prix Sprint race at the Sepang International Circuit on Saturday, while Marc Marquez strengthened his lead in the MotoGP World Championship standings.
Acosta completed the race in 20 minutes and 4.098 seconds, finishing 0.578 seconds ahead of compatriot Marquez, who secured second place.
Italy’s Marco Bezzecchi finished third, 1.310 seconds behind the winner, completing the podium in the 19th round of the championship.
Despite missing out on victory, Marquez emerged as one of the main beneficiaries of the Sprint after his closest title rival, Jorge Martin, withdrew from the event.
The result lifted Marquez to 374 points in the championship standings, extending his advantage over Martin to 19 points with the latter remaining on 355.
Bezzecchi stayed third in the overall standings with 322 points as the championship entered its decisive stages.
Acosta’s victory highlighted his strong pace at Sepang, where he held off Marquez to secure the Sprint win.
The Malaysian Grand Prix weekend will conclude on Sunday with the main race, when Marquez will look to further extend his championship advantage and move closer to securing the world title.
