Fabio Quartararo at the finish of the Malaysian GP: “I nearly fainted in the pit box”

The Malaysian Grand Prix MotoGP, disputed this Sunday on the Sepang circuit, did not allow the two French riders to smile again. Fabio Quartararo finished in 11th place after a grueling race, while Johann Zarco was forced to retire three laps from the finish due to another technical problem on his Honda.

The Malaysian weekend once again highlighted the difficulties encountered by the two French drivers at the end of the 2026 season. After a frustrating Australian race, Fabio Quartararo and Johann Zarco hoped to take advantage of the Sepang meeting to get back on better footing.

Qualifying, however, set the tone. Fabio Quartararo failed to make it into Q2 and started from 18th position. Johann Zarco, for his part, secured a spot in Q2 after setting the best time in the first part of qualifying. The LCR Honda rider ultimately obtained eighth place on the starting grid.

Johann Zarco again stopped by a technical problem in the sprint

Saturday’s sprint race had already provided contrasting insights. Johann Zarco crossed the finish line in 10th position, without scoring points. The French driver notably regretted not taking more risks when the rain began to fall.

“I felt quite good in the first lap, then in the second. But then it started to rain a bit and I regret not taking enough risks to try to gain a few positions,” the driver explained after the finish.

Fabio Quartararo, on the other hand, appreciated these changing conditions. Despite qualifying in 18th position, the Nice native managed to climb up to 11th place. The rain allowed him to rediscover his feel at the handlebars of his Yamaha, which has been particularly struggling on dry track since the start of the weekend.

“I hope for the same conditions tomorrow, because it was really fun,” the French driver had said after the sprint.

Sunday’s scenario was, however, different for the two Frenchmen. Johann Zarco seemed capable of putting together an interesting race at the Sepang circuit. Engaged in a battle with Enea Bastianini for sixth place, the LCR Honda driver ultimately had to withdraw on lap 17, out of the 20 scheduled.

Another technical problem interrupted his race. After the difficulties encountered during the sprint at the Australian Grand Prix, the Frenchman was once again let down by his machine.

“It’s not the same issue at all as in Australia but the bike wouldn’t accelerate anymore. They’ll investigate. We think it’s still electronics. Is it a sensor failing? I don’t know. It was going well. I was happy with the start, with the first two turns which went better than yesterday. And I wanted to have a bit of a battle,” he explained to Canal+.

Fabio Quartararo finishes as the top Yamaha rider at Sepang

For his part, Fabio Quartararo managed to reach the finish line. The Yamaha rider took 11th place, ahead of his teammate Alex Rins. A result that allows him to finish once again as the best representative of the Japanese brand.

The 2021 world champion, however, particularly suffered from the physical conditions imposed by this race. The heat of the Malaysian circuit put bodies to the test, particularly during the 20 laps contested on Sunday.

“It was tough. I almost fainted in the garage after the race with the heat from the bike, the asphalt. It was a very difficult race,” the Nice rider acknowledged after the finish.

Despite this exhaustion, Fabio Quartararo showed himself satisfied with his performance. The rider believes he maximized the possibilities of his Yamaha, whose limitations remain visible from several meetings.

“We did the maximum. We can be satisfied. It was the maximum we could do with what we had this weekend. We’ll think about the next race, get some good rest for 3 days and head to Qatar.”

In the overall MotoGP 2026 world championship standings, Fabio Quartararo currently occupies 15th place with 79 points. The Frenchman remains the best Yamaha rider of the season.

Attention now turns to the Qatar Grand Prix, scheduled for November 6-8 at the Losail circuit. The holding of this race remains uncertain, however, due to geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. A possible cancellation or postponement could modify the calendar and the final stages of the championship.