The second day of official testing at the Sepang MotoGP took place without the participation of Fabio Quartararo, who, along with Jorge Martin and Fermin Aldeguer, is sidelined due to a hand injury. Quartararo, who posted the third fastest time at the shakedown, experienced a crash early in the first official testing day. Meanwhile, reigning champion Marc Marquez, returning from shoulder surgery last October, maintained his position atop the timesheets.
Marquez had cautioned that while he expected to feel good on the opening day at Sepang, he anticipated struggles on the second day due to his condition. Whether this prediction holds true remains to be seen today. Testing sessions run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., split into two parts: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. followed by practice, and 1:20 p.m. to 6 p.m., concluding with additional practice time. The final pre-season test is scheduled for February 21-22 in Buriram, shortly before the season opener in Thailand.
Joan Mir quickly set the early pace of the year with a lap in the 1 minute 56-second range, taking the lead soon after the start. Franco Morbidelli, riding for VR46, also recorded laps in the same second bracket. Marc Marquez showed strong form heading into Day 2, while all Yamaha riders remained in the pits.
On the morning of Day 2 (11 a.m. session), Joan Mir topped the leaderboard with a best lap of 1:56.874, closely followed by Franco Morbidelli and Fabio Di Giannantonio. Other notable performers included Maverick Viñales and Francesco Bagnaia. Marc Marquez was 16th fastest in this session with a time 2.417 seconds off the pace.
The fastest lap of Day 1 was clocked by Marquez at 1:57.018. In comparison, the 2025 Sepang Shakedown’s quickest lap was by Aleix Espargaro, posting 1:57.173. The official Sepang MotoGP lap record stands at 1:56.337, set by Francesco Bagnaia in 2024, while the fastest race lap was a 1:58.873 by Alex Marquez in 2023.
Looking at the combined times for Day 1 and Day 2, Marquez still leads with 1:57.018, followed by Fabio Di Giannantonio and Maverick Viñales. Lorenzo Savadori, Toprak Razgatlioglu, and Andrea Dovizioso represent Yamaha riders, but they have yet to post times on the leaderboard, indicating a cautious approach or ongoing bike development.
Historical data from the 2025 Malaysian GP highlights the fastest laps and speeds by manufacturer, including Ducati’s dominance with Alex Marquez’s 1:58.873 race lap and Francesco Bagnaia’s 1:57.001 qualifying lap. KTM’s Pedro Acosta recorded the highest top speed of 341.7 km/h during Qualifying 2. The data also emphasizes the competitive nature among manufacturers such as Honda, Aprilia, and Yamaha, across various metrics.
Fan Take:
This testing phase is crucial as it sets the tone for the upcoming MotoGP season, especially with key riders recovering from injuries and teams unveiling new setups. Fans should keep a close eye on how Marc Marquez performs post-surgery, as his form could significantly influence the championship battle and the overall excitement of the sport this year.
