Marquez denies he is favourite for Malaysian GP, but is ready to take risks to win

Gresini MotoGP rider Alex Marquez says he is prepared to take “risks” in this weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix, but downplayed suggestions that he is the outright favourite for victory.

At the last round in Phillip Island, the Spaniard eased off in the final stages to consolidate fourth place, prioritising the bigger picture in the championship.

However, with second place in the standings now effectively secured after Francesco Bagnaia slipped behind Marco Bezzecchi to fourth, the 29-year-old says he is ready to throw caution to the wind in pursuit of victory.

“I will not think about the championship anymore, because I think we have a really good advantage,” he said. “We need to achieve 14 points in the last three races to achieve the second. 

“I want to close it, but I will risk. This weekend, I feel it too to risk. If I have the feeling, if I have the level that we have here in the pre-season, I will risk - and also I want to win. It's what I will try. 

“We start from zero this weekend, and it will be interesting to see the improvement from many of the riders and many of the manufacturers.”

Marquez boasts a strong track record at the Sepang International Circuit, most recently scoring a double podium in 2023 in his first year with Gresini Ducati.

He is also enjoying his best campaign yet in the premier class, with victories in the Spanish and Catalan Grands Prix as well as a sprint race win in Barcelona - making him one of the year’s best performers.

Alex Marquez, Gresini Racing

Photo by: Robert Cianflone / Getty Images

With factory Ducati rider Marc Marquez absent from the Sepang race to recover from the shoulder injury he sustained in Indonesia, many expect his younger brother to take the top spot on Sunday.

However, the Gresini rider anticipates a closely-fought contest, as he identified several other riders who have a chance of scoring big in Malaysia.

“I think [I am] one of them, but not the clear favourite,” he said “It's true that I like this track and I have always been fast here, pre-season and all that. 

“But many of the other riders, especially Aprilia with Bezzecchi [and] some Ducati [riders], like [Fabio] Diggia [di Giannantonio] or Fermin [Aldeguer], also Pecco [Bagnaia], can be really fast here. 

“We will see how it will be. We need to see the weather also, because it looks like it will be a little bit unpredictable. So if that changes, it will not be a favour for us.”

Several Ducati riders have struggled with consistency this year, a problem that has further come into the light in the absence of Marquez senior.

Alex Marquez was the only Ducati rider to regularly take the fight to his brother in the early part of the year, but his form has been mixed since he picked up a hand fracture at Assen.

However, the younger Marquez feels Ducati is slowly adjusting to life without its star performer of 2025.

“Me and Diggia were quite close to the win in Australia,” he pointed out. “The problem there was just that we were not having the feeling for quali, and we were starting quite on the back. 

“If not, the possibility of challenging Aprilia was there on Sunday, so we just need to be patient. It's true that Australia for us was a little bit strange, because at Ducati this year, the reference was clearly Marc at every track.

"It was easier to see where the limit of the bike was [when he was racing]. But passing already the third race without Marc, everybody have more clarity on Ducati, what we need to do and what the reference is."