Sepang, FP1: Fastest time for Marc Marquez, Martin held on, Fernandez out

Following some heavy rainfall the previous day, the track had dried out again in time for the first MotoGP session. The Moto3 riders still had to contend with a few damp patches, but by the end of Moto2 FP2, the Sepang Circuit was in good condition all round. The 45-minute FP1 session got underway in typically tropical temperatures.

Among them was Aprilia rider Jorge Martin. The World Championship runner-up is set to give it a go in Malaysia, despite a still-fresh fracture to his right wrist, in a bid to stay in the title race. The Honda works team was also back at full strength for the first time, with Joan Mir and Luca Marini. Fermin Aldeguer, however, is absent from Sepang – the Gresini youngster is being replaced by Superbike rider Iker Lecuona, as he was in Australia. Toprak Razgatlioglu is not on the grid.

The opening minutes belonged to Jorge Martin; in terms of TV airtime, the ‘Martinator’ stole the show from the competition. But the lap times revealed Martin’s predicament. Whilst his team-mate Marco Bezzecchi broke the 2:00 mark as early as his second timed lap, Martin was almost four seconds slower than his pit neighbour.

Jorge Martin fuhr das FP1: Platz 20 nach 12 Runden

Foto: Gold and Goose

After 10 minutes, Marc Marquez had set a new fastest time at the front: 1:58.912 mins. Meanwhile, after four laps, Martin rolled back into the Aprilia Racing pits for his first stop. Half a second behind Marc Marquez was Marco Bezzecchi. KTM rider Pedro Acosta was another half-second off the pace in third place during the early stages. From fourth place onwards, with Johann Zarco, Alex Marquez, Di Giannantonio, Moreira, Bastianini, Binder and Bagnaia, the field was separated by tenths of a second.

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Sepang: International Livestream

MotoGP World Championship

31.10.2026 - 01:35

Aprilia-Pilot Bezzecchi: Platz 2 im FP1

Foto: Gold and Goose

The mood in the Trackhouse pit was sombre. Raul Fernandez was forced to withdraw after just a quarter of an hour. The Spaniard is still suffering from an injury to two fingers on his right hand. Whilst FP1 was still underway, the rider currently seventh in the World Championship standings was withdrawn from the event by Dr Charte. Fernandez is to be flown back to Spain as soon as possible to undergo intensive physiotherapy in preparation for the Qatar Grand Prix.

Raul Fernandez zog zurück

Foto: Gold and Goose

Jorge Martin showed his determination to carry on at any cost; the number 89 rider took to the 5.5 km circuit – one of the most physically demanding on the calendar – for a second session. At the start of the second set of laps, Martin moved up to 19th place, though he was still 2.3 seconds off Marc Marquez’s fastest time. At the same time, the injured works rider was faster than Maverick Viñales (KTM) and Ai Ogura (Trackhouse).

Pedro Acosta found his rhythm as the session progressed. The Red Bull rider improved his time and, with 15 minutes to go, was tied with Marco Bezzecchi for second place.

The opening session at Sepang ended on a positive note for the Honda riders. With Zarco (8th) and Moreira (10th), both LCR riders featured in the front-runners. Marini finished 18th, 1.6 seconds off the pace, whilst his team-mate Mir came 14th on his comeback.

Eleven minutes before the end of FP1, the session had to be briefly interrupted; Iker Lekuona had lost his front mudguard on the back straight. The remains of the carbon fibre part had to be cleared away first. In the remaining minutes, the focus was once again on Jorge Martin. On his tenth timed lap, Martin shaved off another half a second to finish 16th.

KTM-Tech3-Pilot Enea Bastianini (4.)

Foto: Gold and Goose

There were no changes at the very top, but KTM rider Brad Binder caused a surprise by finishing fifth. Things went even better for Enea Bastianini, who brought a third KTM into the top five by finishing fourth. Disappointment for Gresini and Alex Márquez. The runners-up in the world championship, in seventh place, lost almost a second to his team-mate and older brother.

Jorge Martin slipped back to 20th place in the final session; however, after 12 laps, the World Championship runner-up had passed the qualifying test for the Malaysian Grand Prix. For the time being, however, Jorge Martin does not yet pose an immediate threat to the fastest rider from the season opener, Marc Marquez. His Aprilia team-mate Marco Bezzecchi (2nd), on the other hand, certainly does.