Recapping the opening day of the MotoGP Sepang Test

2 weeks ago 11

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MotoGP 2026
Sepang Test – Day One

The 2026 MotoGP season barely had its engine covers off before the storylines began stacking up, as a dramatic opening day of the Sepang Official Test saw Marc Marquez return to the top of the timesheets, Ducati underline its performance depth, Honda continue its upward trend, and Yamaha suffer an early blow with Fabio Quartararo sidelined.

As expected, Sepang delivered its usual test-day extremes. High heat, heavy humidity and a relentless pace from the moment the pit lane opened at 1000 local time meant riders wasted little time pushing into representative lap times.

Morning Session – Early Pace, Early Drama

The opening hour saw a rapid escalation in speed, with lap times tumbling into the 1m58s almost immediately. Marco Bezzecchi was first to properly light up the timing screens with a 1m57.894s, before Alex Marquez briefly moved to the top with a 1m57.487s, continuing his strong recent form in Malaysia.

Yamaha initially looked sharp, with Alex Rins topping the charts mid-morning, but that momentum stalled when Fabio Quartararo crashed heavily at Turn 5. The 2021 World Champion was sent to the medical centre for checks and later returned to the track, where he improved but was clearly hampered by his injuries.

Turn 5 would prove a recurring trouble spot, later catching out Diogo Moreira, whose crash disrupted what had been a promising start for the Pro Honda LCR rider after running consistently inside the top ten early on.

Despite those interruptions, the morning session confirmed the competitive spread. KTM, Ducati, Honda and Aprilia all featured near the front, while Yamaha’s new V4-powered YZR-M1 continued to show promise but without the outright top speed the boys in blue are craving.

Afternoon – Honda Steps Forward, Ducati Strikes Late

After the lunch break, attention turned firmly to longer runs and structured testing, but the pace continued to ramp up.

Honda was one of the clear standouts. Luca Marini and Joan Mir both worked through extensive parts lists on the RC213V, yet still remained consistently inside the top seven. Marini eventually posted a 1m57.569s, with Mir just behind on 1m57.693s, both more than half a second quicker than Honda managed at the same test last year.

Marini said the progress was immediately tangible: “Already we have made progress, and this is a really nice feeling. The Japanese have done a great job during the winter; a lot of really good pieces have been brought here – more or less everything I asked for in Valencia has arrived.”

Mir echoed that sentiment, noting that Honda’s focus on evolution rather than reinvention was paying dividends.

As the session wore on, Ducati began to assert itself. Fabio Di Giannantonio surged to the top late in the day with a 1m57.274s, briefly placing the VR46 Ducati at the head of the order and continuing a strong first day back after winter.

But the final word belonged to Marquez.

Marquez Delivers the Benchmark Lap

With just minutes remaining, Marc Marquez unleashed the fastest lap of the day, a 1m57.018s, to secure P1 and underline Ducati Lenovo Team’s status heading into 2026.

The lap was notable not just for its outright time, but for its sector balance. Marquez’s benchmark tour combined a 24.370s T1, 27.016s T2, 36.004s T3 and 29.628s T4, the only lap of the day to be genuinely competitive across all four splits.

He also recorded the highest top speed of the day at 345.0 km/h, a number only matched by Enea Bastianini on the Red Bull KTM Tech3.

Di Giannantonio finished second on the combined times, just 0.256s adrift, while Maverick Viñales completed the top three for Red Bull KTM Tech3, only 0.021s behind Di Giannantonio.

Viñales was upbeat afterwards, praising KTM’s winter development programme and confirming that multiple new components, including chassis, swingarm and aero, are still being evaluated.

Strength in Numbers for Ducati

Behind Marquez and Di Giannantonio, Ducati’s depth was again evident. Francesco Bagnaia ended the day eighth after a quieter start, finishing 0.702s off his teammate, while focusing on preparation for a race simulation on Day 2.

At Gresini, Alex Marquez topped the morning session but was the only rider inside the top 13 not to improve in the afternoon, still finishing a solid 12th and reminding observers that he remains the most recent Malaysian GP winner.

Honda and Aprilia Continue Positive Momentum

Aprilia placed Marco Bezzecchi fourth overall, just over half a second from Marquez, with the Italian working through a revised package that included a new tail unit, seat wings and swingarm. With Jorge Martin sidelined, test rider Lorenzo Savadori continued parallel development work focused on ergonomics and electronics.

At Trackhouse, Raul Fernandez and Ai Ogura both completed productive, incident-free days, with Fernandez particularly relieved to escape Sepang testing without injury for the first time in several years.

Yamaha’s Mixed Day Ends With Quartararo Withdrawal

Yamaha’s Day 1 ultimately revolved around Quartararo’s crash and subsequent decision to withdraw. Despite setting a 1m57.869s to finish ninth, the Frenchman confirmed a broken finger and will now prioritise recovery ahead of the Buriram Test.

Team Director Massimo Meregalli confirmed the decision was taken to avoid unnecessary risk, with Augusto Fernandez stepping in for the remaining days.

Rins ended the day 16th after focusing on swingarm testing, while Jack Miller was 14th for Prima Pramac Yamaha, concentrating on long runs and electronics rather than a late time attack. Miller described the bike as “a completely new Yamaha, but still very much a Yamaha,” highlighting strong front-end feel is still there.

Toprak Razgatlioglu continued his MotoGP adaptation, experimenting with seat position and rear aero, and described following Marquez on track as a valuable learning experience, the Turk noting how little lean angle Marc carried through certain sections of the circuit.

Day 1 Sets the Tone

With the top eight covered by just 0.702s, multiple manufacturers showing genuine progress and Ducati already delivering both pace and top speed, the opening day of the Sepang Test suggested the 2026 season is shaping up to be anything but predictable.

Day 2 now looms as teams shift their focus toward race simulations, durability runs, and deeper setup work.

Talking Tyres…

Several riders deliberately spent Day 1 running the less-preferred Medium tyre, methodically building speed and collecting baseline data, while holding back their much-preferred Soft allocation. Sepang is a venue where, even over race distances, the Soft option Michelin is by far the favoured choice.

Sepang Test Times Day One

MotoGP Sepang Test Times Day One

Pos	Rider	Bike	FP1	FP2	Gap
1	M. Marquez	Duc	1m58.774	1m57.018	—
2	F. Di Giannantonio	Duc	1m58.770	1m57.274	+0.256
3	M. Viñales	KTM	1m59.095	1m57.295	+0.277
4	A. Marquez	Duc	1m57.487	1m58.169	+0.469
5	M. Bezzecchi	Apr	1m57.894	1m57.524	+0.506
6	L. Marini	Hon	1m57.845	1m57.569	+0.551
7	J. Mir	Hon	1m58.367	1m57.693	+0.675
8	F. Bagnaia	Duc	1m59.244	1m57.720	+0.702
9	F. Quartararo	Yam	1m59.886	1m57.869	+0.851
10	F. Morbidelli	Duc	1m58.867	1m58.068	+1.050
11	J. Zarco	Hon	1m58.571	1m58.140	+1.122
12	E. Bastianini	KTM	1m59.539	1m58.161	+1.143
13	B. Binder	KTM	2m00.347	1m58.194	+1.176
14	J. Miller	Yam	1m58.252	1m58.424	+1.234
15	P. Acosta	KTM	1m58.313	1m59.608	+1.295
16	A. Rins	Yam	1m58.320	1m59.290	+1.302
17	A. Ogura	Apr	1m59.588	1m58.613	+1.595
18	R. Fernandez	Apr	1m58.878	1m58.659	+1.641
19	D. Moreira	Hon	1m58.682	1m59.488	+1.664
20	T. Razgatlioglu	Yam	1m58.887	2m00.596	+1.869
21	L. Salvadori	Apr	1m58.908	1m59.144	+1.890
22	A. Dovizioso	Yam	2m00.681	2m05.853	+3.663
23	A. Fernandez	Yam	2m01.054	—	+4.036