Starting from pole, Marquez who completed the Sepang circuit in 40minutes 45.523 seconds, now equals Australian Mick Doohan’s record of 12 wins in a season. Crowd favourite Rossi, who briefly held the lead after overtaking Lorenzo, finished 2.445 seconds behind Marquez to settle in second place. Rossi’s second place increases his advantage over Lorenzo in the battle for the championship runner-up spot. This is now an all-Yamaha affair with Pedrosa out of contention after crashing for good when back up to 13th place.
Lorenzo, who blitzed off the blocks in rapid-fire fashion, couldn’t maintain the momentum, finishing third, 3.508 seconds off his compatriot, who had started from pole. The win also sealed the constructor’s title for Honda, their 21st in premier class racing.
Pos | Rider | Team | Bike | Gap |
1 | Marc Marquez | Honda | Honda | 40m45.523s |
2 | Valentino Rossi | Yamaha | Yamaha | 2.445s |
3 | Jorge Lorenzo | Yamaha | Yamaha | 3.508s |
4 | Stefan Bradl | LCR | Honda | 21.234s |
5 | Bradley Smith | Tech 3 | Yamaha | 22.283s |
6 | Pol Espargaro | Tech 3 | Yamaha | 34.668s |
7 | Yonny Hernandez | Pramac Racing | Ducati | 38.435s |
8 | Andrea Dovizioso | Ducati | Ducati | 48.839s |
9 | Hector Barbera | Avintia Racing | Ducati | 50.792s |
10 | Scott Redding | Gresini Racing | Honda | 59.088s |