Winner: Francesco Bagnaia

Even though he did not finish the race, Bagnaia reminded everyone of his skill and determination. He delivered a brilliant lap in qualifying to take pole position, showing that he still knows how to extract the speed from his Ducati even when the bike doesn’t suit him perfectly. In the sprint, he rode strongly and kept himself at the front. On Sunday, he stayed near the front until a rear tyre puncture on lap 12 forced him to retire. It was bad luck, because until that moment he looked capable of fighting for the podium. Despite the result, Bagnaia and his team left Malaysia with a better understanding of the bike and how to handle its unpredictable behaviour.

Loser: Aprilia

After strong races in Indonesia and Australia, Aprilia arrived at Sepang looking like a real challenger. But the weekend turned into one of its toughest of the year. The team struggled to find grip from the first session and failed to get a single bike into Q2. Changing track temperatures and light rain made setup work even harder, and the race itself was held earlier than usual, meaning there was less rubber on the circuit. Marco Bezzecchi chose the medium tyre hoping it would last better, but the sudden rise in temperature on Sunday ruined that plan. Their best result came from Ai Ogura in tenth place, nearly twenty seconds behind Márquez. Raul Fernandez, the winner in Australia, crashed out during the race, making things worse. The weekend showed that Aprilia still has work to do before it can fight with Ducati everywhere.

Winner: KTM

Most people thought the Malaysian Grand Prix would be a disaster for KTM. The hot conditions and the high tyre wear were expected to destroy their pace over the full race. Yet, the team surprised everyone. Pedro Acosta managed his soft tyres brilliantly and stayed close to Bagnaia during the early laps. When Bagnaia’s pace dropped because of the puncture, Acosta took second place and kept it to the finish. KTM’s decision to remove some of the electronic controls from the bike helped Acosta manage his tyres by feeling, which suited his riding style. Other KTM riders also performed better than expected. Both Brad Binder and Enea Bastianini climbed through the field to finish inside the top 10 after starting far back.

Loser: Yamaha’s V4 Project

Yamaha brought back its new V4 prototype to Malaysia for another test, but the results were disappointing. The team ran the engine in a safe, low-power mode to avoid reliability problems, which meant the bike lacked speed on Sepang’s long straight. Test rider Augusto Fernandez said the bike felt difficult to control and didn’t have the power needed to compete properly. Although the test was meant to gather data rather than chase lap times, it still showed that Yamaha has a long way to go before the V4 is ready for racing.

Winner: Álex Márquez

Álex arrived in Malaysia full of confidence and riding one of the best bikes he has ever had in MotoGP. After securing second place in the championship on Saturday, he was finally free from pressure. That freedom allowed him to ride with his natural aggression and confidence. When the race began, he briefly lost a position to Pedro Acosta, but he quickly fought back and passed Francesco Bagnaia on the second lap to take the lead. From that moment, he carefully managed his tyres and controlled the pace of the race, never letting anyone get close again. His calm and clever riding showed how much he has grown as a racer.

Loser: Fermín Aldeguer

Aldeguer did win the title of Rookie of the Year in Malaysia, but the weekend itself did not go as he had hoped. His problems began in practice, where late drama kept him out of a direct Q2 place. He then crashed in Q1 and even had a small collision in the pit lane while rushing back to the garage. In the sprint race, he showed good speed and crossed the line in third, but a tyre pressure penalty dropped him to seventh. On Sunday, things did not improve. He struggled to find his rhythm, stayed in the lower part of the top 10, and later crashed out of the race with five laps remaining.