MotoGP Malaysian GP: Alex Marquez claims pole from Marc Marquez; Jorge Martin out

Ducati took the lead in qualifying for the Malaysian Grand Prix, with Alex Marquez claiming pole position just 0.070 seconds ahead of his brother Marc Marquez. The reigning MotoGP champion Marc Marquez started the session in a strong position, but Alex Marquez took the top spot in Q2 by a slim margin. Pedro Acosta secured the third spot for KTM, while Ai Ogura emerged as the fastest Aprilia rider in fourth.

Aprilia announced that Jorge Martin, a championship contender, would not be participating in the remainder of the weekend due to injury, which bolstered Marc Marquez's prospects of securing his 10th title. Marc Marquez had previously set the pace in Friday practice, but it was Alex Marquez who demonstrated his speed in the initial minutes of Q2.

Other notable performances included Marco Bezzecchi and Ai Ogura in fifth and seventh, respectively. Ducati's performance improved during the second runs, with Bezzecchi edging out Alex Marquez by 0.029 seconds, and Ogura securing the seventh position. Marc Marquez demonstrated his superiority on Ducati, managing to surpass Ai Ogura in second position despite some erratic moments on his factory GP26 bike.

Alex Marquez, however, secured the pole position with a time of 1 minute and 56.493 seconds, ensuring that the Marquez brothers dominated the top two positions on the grid.