Triumph on Malaysia’s hot and challenging asphalt

· Alonso is back on the winning side. David Alonso (Kalex) won the 17-lap Moto2™ race at the 2026 Malaysian Grand Prix. Starting fourth on the grid, he took the lead in the opening laps and remained firmly in control until the chequered flag. Behind him, pole-sitter Daniel Holgado and Ángel Piqueras, both on Kalex. Tyre choice was unanimous across the race: every rider opted for the soft SC1 front and the supersoft F0192 development rear combo. The latter proved more competitive than the soft SC0 already in Friday’s opening sessions.

· Quiles takes home his 11^th win. Starting from pole position, Máximo Quiles (KTM) claimed victory in the 15-lap Moto3™ race and secured his 11^th win of the season. The Spanish rider led from start to finish, crossing the line ahead of Veda Pratama (Honda) and Álvaro Carpe (KTM), who came in second and third, respectively. Quiles went all in on the SC2 , while Pratama and Carpe opted for the soft SC1 rear tyres. In general, rear tyre choices in Moto3™ were more varied than in Moto2™: while almost every rider used the medium SC2 front, rear tyre choices were split almost evenly between the soft SC1 and medium SC2.

· New race lap records. New race lap records were set in both classes. In Moto2™, David Alonso (Kalex) set a time of 2’04.422 on lap two, improving Jake Dixon’s last year record by almost a tenth of a second. In Moto3™, Álvaro Carpe (KTM) set the new race lap record of 2’10.967 on lap three, beating David Alonso 2024 time by 80 thousandths of a second.

Great races in demanding conditions on the tyres
 
“Sepang is a particularly challenging circuit for tyres. The highly abrasive asphalt, combined with high track temperatures, puts the tyres under considerable stress. Here, striking the best balance between performance and wear resistance becomes even more important.
The tyres selected by Pirelli for this Grand Prix were especially fit for the purpose. In Moto2™, every rider chose the supersoft F0192 development rear tyre over the standard soft SC0, because of the higher level of grip it provided. This was particularly valuable at a circuit like Sepang, where high asphalt temperatures tend to reduce grip. At the same time, despite being a supersoft compound, the F0192 demonstrated good wear resistance, completing all 17 laps on a very abrasive surface.
In Moto3™, the medium SC2 was the most popular front option, while both the soft SC1 and medium SC2 delivered strong rear performances, as demonstrated by the different choices made by the podium finishers.
As expected, tyre wear was higher than usual at this circuit, but this compromised neither performance nor the racing quality, with new race lap records being set in both classes.”