2025 Malaysian MotoGP, Sepang: Race + reaction as it happened

Bit of a scare with Alex Marquez's bike on the grid, but team boss Michele Masini has confirmed: "Everything is ok". 

Now free of the pressure of securing second in the standings, Alex Marquez will have his eyes firmly on winning the grand prix today. 

Fermin Aldeguer has proven to be good at tyre management, which helped him to his win at Mandalika. Going from sixth, he is being looked at as a threat by quite a few. 

Conversely, if tyre wear is expected to be high, that's a nightmare for KTM. Acosta has speed, but the RC16 struggles to hold onto its rubber. 

That may suit Tech3's Enea Bastianini, but he has to come from 19th on the grid today. 

A tyre management race will be something Marco Bezzecchi will be keen for, as he comes from 14th on the grid. 

He was able to cut his way through the pack well yesterday, and a slower pace will help him keep his rubber in check, and keep the group in touch. 

An interesting thing to note about this grand prix: there has been no Moto2 race due to the schedule delay caused by an accident in Moto3 this morning. 

Typically, the rubber left by the Moto2 race plays havoc with grip levels. That will certainly benefit  a few. 

Pecco Bagnaia looks to be back to his best after what we saw on Saturday. He credited a change to his bike that hadn't worked previously. However, details on what that was are being kept close to his chest.

Pitlane has opened for the sighting lap. Everyone has left pitlane on the soft rear. 

Conditions are the hottest they have been this weekend. It's currently 35 degrees C air and 56 degrees C on the asphalt. 

This will make tyre choice tricky, though it looks like the majority of the field are going to go for the soft rear despite the wear expected on it because the medium takes too long to heat up in the early laps.