Who qualified directly for Q2 at the 2026 Malaysian MotoGP Grand Prix?

News Summary

• Marc Márquez led the ten riders who qualified directly for Q2 at the 2026 Malaysian MotoGP Grand Prix, setting a 1:57.000 lap on Friday.
• Álex Márquez and Ai Ogura completed the top three, with Pedro Acosta fourth and Joan Mir claiming the final direct qualifying position.
• Francesco Bagnaia, Johann Zarco, Diogo Moreira and Jorge Martín must compete in Q1, although Martín’s participation remains subject to an assessment of his injured right wrist.

Marc Márquez heads the list of ten riders who have qualified directly for Q2 at the 2026 Malaysian MotoGP Grand Prix, after dominating Friday’s (October 30) timed Practice session at Sepang International Circuit. The Ducati rider recorded a 1:57.000 lap to finish 0.109 seconds ahead of brother Álex Márquez, while Ai Ogura took third place.

The session determined which riders will avoid Saturday’s Q1 and proceed directly to the battle for pole position. Joan Mir secured the final available Q2 place for Honda, while Francesco Bagnaia, Johann Zarco, Diogo Moreira and Jorge Martín were among those unable to qualify directly.

Which riders qualified directly for Q2 in Malaysia?

The ten fastest riders from Friday afternoon’s Practice advanced automatically to Q2.

Márquez secured first place despite crashing at Turn 15 earlier in Practice. After returning to the circuit, he improved his fastest lap to move clear of the rest of the field.

Three KTM riders progressed directly to Q2: Acosta, Bastianini and Viñales. Mir, meanwhile, secured tenth place on his return to competition after missing four rounds.

The full Friday Practice report includes the complete classification and the incidents during the session.

Which riders must compete in Q1 at Sepang?

Eleven riders finished outside the top ten during Practice. With Raúl Fernández already declared medically unfit for the Malaysian Grand Prix, the following riders are scheduled to contest Q1, subject to further withdrawals.

Zarco missed the top ten by 0.187 seconds after crashing late in Practice, while Bagnaia finished only 0.002 seconds behind the Frenchman following his own fall at Turn 1.

Moreira, meanwhile, ended the session 13th after narrowly avoiding a crash at Turn 15 during his final attempts.

Only the two fastest riders in Q1 will advance to Q2, joining the ten riders already qualified.

Will Jorge Martín take part in Q1?

Martín’s participation remains uncertain after the Aprilia rider completed only three laps during Friday afternoon’s session.

The 2024 World Champion is recovering from a fracture of the distal radius in his right forearm, sustained during the Australian sprint at Phillip Island.

He received medical clearance to continue competing after Friday morning’s FP1, but Aprilia decided to end his afternoon Practice early because of the physical effort required.

Team manager Paolo Bonora said Martín would be reassessed on Saturday morning.

The latest Aprilia update explains why his participation in qualifying and the sprint is not yet guaranteed.

If he continues competing, Martín will have to begin in Q1 because he did not qualify directly for Q2.

The Spaniard arrived in Malaysia ten points behind World Championship leader Márquez.

What time are MotoGP Q1 and Q2 in Malaysia?

Qualifying takes place on Saturday, October 31, following the final free-practice session.

Q2 will determine the starting positions for Saturday’s ten-lap sprint and Sunday’s main Grand Prix.

The complete Malaysian MotoGP weekend schedule includes all MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 sessions.

GRANDE PRÊMIO is following every session of the Malaysian MotoGP Grand Prix this weekend, with breaking news, full coverage and real-time updates in its MotoGP section.