Malaysian MotoGP Rider Ratings: One 10/10 and a lowest grade of the season for a Honda rider

Enea Bastianini - 10

(Qualified 3rd, finished 1st)

(Sprint race result - P4)

After choosing not to attack his team-mate in the sprint, Bastianini made a lightning start in the main race as he dominated every lap. A performance we became used to seeing in 2022, Bastianini responded in perfect fashion to the pressure put on him by Ducati, who admitted on Saturday that they were considering swapping Jorge Martin for ‘The Beast’. 

• Malaysian MotoGP, Sepang - Race Results 
• Bastianini claims stunning victory at Sepang, Bagnaia fights back

Alex Marquez - 9.5

(Qualified 4th, finished 2nd)

(Sprint race result - P1)

Marquez was sensational in the sprint as he won his second race of the season. Marquez then delivered another very strong ride on Sunday although it wasn’t enough to challenge Bastianini who had him covered. 

Francesco Bagnaia - 8.5

(Qualified 1st, finished 3rd)

(Sprint race result - P3)

After losing points to title rival Jorge Martin in the sprint race, Bagnaia was stern in his defence against the Spaniard in the Grand Prix. Three attempts at taking third away from the reigning world champion were made by Martin, but Bagnaia had an answer on every occasion before pulling clear of the Pramac rider. 

Jorge Martin - 8

(Qualified 2nd, finished 4th)

(Sprint race result - P2)

A very good Saturday didn’t translate into the result expected on Sunday as Martin failed to beat Bagnaia for the fourth consecutive race. As a result, Martin lost three points in the championship fight. 

Fabio Quartararo - 7.5

(Qualified 16th, finished 5th)

(Sprint race result - P5)

After calling the opening few corners ‘the worst of my life’ in the sprint, Quartararo bounced back to secure a brilliant P5 finish in the main race. Quartararo was the fastest rider in the second group as he made passes on Jack Miller and Marco Bezzecchi in the closing stages. 

Marco Bezzecchi - 7

(Qualified 6th, finished 6th) 

(Sprint race result - P7)

A solid weekend for Bezzecci who is still not at 100%, however, his inability to fight the top four meant he is now officially out of title contention.

Franco Morbidelli - 6.5

(Qualified 15th, finished 7th)

(Sprint race result - P11)

After a disappointing qualifying Morbidelli showed great pace in both races, particularly the main race as he moved up to fifth, just two spots behind Quartararo.

Jack Miller - 6.5

(Qualified 10th, finished 8th)

(Sprint race result - P6) 

A top ten in the three most important sessions of the weekend, Miller scored points in both races and looked much more comfortable with the RC16.

Fabio Di Giannantonio - 6

(Qualified 11th, finished 9th)

(Sprint race result - P13)

A mixed weekend for Di Giannantonio who didn’t have the pace of team-mate Alex Marquez.

Luca Marini - 6.5

(Qualified 5th, finished 10th) 

(Sprint race result - P9)

A strong qualifiyng wasn’t quite the catalist for the same results in both races for Marini, with the Italian heading the other way on both occasions.

Maverick Vinales - 6

(Qualified 9th, finished 11th)

(Sprint race result - P10)

After showing good speed in free practice, Vinales had very little say when it came to qualifying and race conditions. Vinales struggled, as did all the Aprilia riders at a circuit that was also very difficult for the Italian brand in 2022.

Johann Zarco - 4.5

(Qualified 12th, finished 12th) 

(Sprint race result - P8)

A strong sprint finish after recovering from 12th resulted in Zarco scoring points in both races, however, the Frenchman struggled for pace over the longer race distance which has usually been a strength of his.

Marc Marquez - 3

(Qualified 20th, finished 13th)

(Sprint race result - P21)

A crash in the sprint race made a tough weekend even worse for the eight-time world champion, who managed to squeeze three points out of another disastrous weekend.

Augusto Fernandez - 4

(Qualified 14th, finished 14th)

(Sprint race result - P14)

It was a consistent weekend for Fernandez but one where results weren’t good enough to score big points. 

Pol Espargaro - 3.5

(Qualified 17th, finished 15th)

(Sprint race result - P15)

Espargaro was the last rider to score points in the grand prix after failing to find sizable improvements as the weekend went on. 

Takaaki Nakagami - 3

(Qualified 21st, finished 18th)

(Sprint race result - P19)

On what was another weekend to forget for all Honda riders, Nakagami was running outside the points before a crash at turn nine.

Brad Binder - 4.5

(Qualified 7th, DNF)

(Sprint race result - P5) 

A strong sprint result was not backed up with the expected finish in the grand prix. After losing positions at the start, Binder failed to recover seventh spot before crashing out at turn ten.

Aleix Espargaro - 2.5

(Qualified 13th, DNF) 

(Sprint race result - P12)

One of his worst weekends of the season, Espargaro suffered five crashes, with the last of those coming in Sunday’s race at turn nine. 

Miguel Oliveira - 4

(Qualified 19th, DNF)

(Sprint race result - P18) 

Like Espargaro, Oliveira’s race ended following a crash although the Portuguese rider also had a technical issue with his Aprilia bike. 

Raul Fernandez - 3.5

(Qualified 18th, DNF) 

(Sprint race result - P17)

The third Aprilia rider who failed to finish the grand prix, Fernandez’s difficult second season in MotoGP continued at Sepang.

Joan Mir - 2

(Qualified 16th, DNF) 

(Sprint race result - P23)

One of the worst weekends of his career, the 2020 world champion crashed in both races.