This will be the 31st Malaysian Grand Prix, which has been held every year since its first visit in 1991, except in 2020 and 2021 when the Malaysian GPs were canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Malaysian GP has taken place on three different circuits: Shah Alam, Johor, and Sepang. The first, held in Shah Alam in 1991, saw John Kocinski claim his debut victory in the premier class with a Yamaha.
Italian riders dominated the smaller classes, with Luca Cadalora (Honda) winning the 250cc race and Loris Capirossi (Honda) in the 125cc. The Shah Alam circuit hosted the Malaysian Grand Prix for a total of seven years before the competition was moved to Johor for a single year in 1998. The first Malaysian GP to be held in Sepang was in 1999, and this year will mark the 23rd time Sepang hosts the event.
Malaysia is one of the eight Asian countries to host a Grand Prix (all individual classes), along with Indonesia, Turkey, Japan, Thailand, China, Qatar, and India. The Sepang International Circuit is one of the 13 different circuits that have been used for GP races in Asia to date: Motegi (69 GP races), Sepang (65), Lusail (59), Suzuka (56), Shah Alam (21), Shanghai (12), Buriram (12), Istanbul Park (9), Fisco/Fuji (8), Sentul (6), Mandalika (6), Johor (3), and Buddh (3).
Most successful riders in Sepang:
Valentino Rossi 6 (5 x MotoGP™, 1 x 500cc)
Dani Pedrosa 5 (3 x MotoGP™, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 125cc)
Casey Stoner 4 (2 x MotoGP™, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 125cc)
Marc Marquez 3 (2 x MotoGP™, 1 x 125cc)
Maverick Viñales 3 (1 x MotoGP™, 1 x Moto2™, 1 x 125cc)
Races in Sepang (65):
18 MotoGP™, 3 500cc, 11 Moto2™, 11 250cc, 9 Moto3™, 13 125cc
Factories in Sepang: best results
Most wins: Honda 7 – Yamaha 6 – Ducati 6 – Suzuki 2
Honda: In the MotoGP era, Honda has had six wins in Sepang, including four consecutive wins from 2012 to 2015, with Dani Pedrosa (2012, 2013, and 2015) and Marc Márquez (2014). The most recent Honda victory on the track was by Marc Márquez in 2018, after qualifying on pole, although he received a grid penalty and started from seventh.
Yamaha: Yamaha has had six MotoGP™ wins here, four with Valentino Rossi (2004, 2006, 2008, and 2010), one with Max Biaggi (2002), and one with Maverick Viñales (2019).
Ducati: Ducati had six victories in MotoGP™ with four different riders here: Loris Capirossi (2005), Casey Stoner (2007 and 2009), Andrea Dovizioso (2016 and 2017), and Francesco Bagnaia (2022).
Aprilia: Aprilia’s best result in MotoGP™ at Sepang is seventh with Álvaro Bautista in 2016. In 2022, Aleix Espargaro was the best Aprilia in 10th place.
