Sepang: World champion Marc Marquez won the Malaysian MotoGP on Sunday despite starting in seventh position after being hit with a grid penalty, surging past Valentino Rossi who crashed out of the lead.

Suzuki’s Alex Rins came in second after overtaking Yamaha rider Johann Zarco, who finished third, in the final stage of the race at Sepang.

Italian star Rossi finished a lacklustre 18th after tumbling off his bike in the 16th lap and losing the lead to Marquez, who was crowned world champion last month in Japan.

Marquez, 25, was totally dominant in the final stages of the race, and opened up a big gap with the rest of the field.