Sepang Test: Marc Marquez Leading in Day 1

The 2026 MotoGP season has officially roared to life at the Sepang International Circuit, and while some things have changed, the name at the top of the timesheets feels legendary.

Marc Marquez reminded the paddock why he’s a six-time premier class champion, ending Day 1 of the official test in P1, while his former rival Fabio Quartararo suffered a nightmare start to his campaign.

Any lingering doubts about Marc Marquez’s fitness following his late-2025 injury woes were silenced in exactly 1’57.018. Riding for the Ducati Lenovo Team, the #93 steadily chipped away at his lap times throughout the heat of the afternoon before unleashing a late-session flyer to claim the top spot.

It was a statement of intent from the Spaniard, who looks immediately at home on the 2026 GP26. Meanwhile, on the other side of the garage, teammate Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia—described by management as a “new Pecco” this year—focused on long-run data. Bagnaia finished P8, 0.702s off Marquez, with a race simulation scheduled for tomorrow.

The mood was far more somber at Monster Energy Yamaha. Fabio Quartararo’s test ended prematurely following a high-speed tumble at Turn 5. Although initial medical checks cleared him of fractures, the Frenchman continued to suffer from intense pain in his arm and hand.

After further evaluation, a broken finger was confirmed. Quartararo has officially withdrawn from the remainder of the test to focus on recovery, leaving teammate Alex Rins and the Pramac Yamaha duo of Jack Miller and Toprak Razgatlioglu to spearhead the development of Yamaha’s highly anticipated V4 engine.

The timesheets reflected a strong day for the Italian marque, but KTM is breathing down their necks:

P2: Fabio Di Giannantonio (VR46 Racing) – The Italian briefly held P1 late in the day, finishing just 0.256s behind Marquez.
P3: Maverick Viñales (Red Bull KTM Tech3) – “Top Gun” was glowing about the 2026 KTM package, which features a new chassis and aero. He was the fastest non-Ducati on track.
P4: Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing) – Topped the morning session but was the only front-runner who didn’t improve in the afternoon.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of Day 1 was the pace of the HRC Castrol duo. Luca Marini (P6) and Joan Mir (P7) both broke into the top seven, lapping more than half a second faster than they did during last year’s Sepang test. The progress of the RC213V was evident, with both riders praising the work done by the test team during the earlier Shakedown.

All eyes were on Toprak Razgatlioglu as he continued his transition to MotoGP with Prima Pramac Yamaha. The WorldSBK superstar was the busiest man on track, experimenting with rear aero and braking markers. Interestingly, Toprak spent several laps shadowing Marc Marquez, noting that he “learned a lot” from the Ducati master. He finished the day saving fresh rubber for a planned push on Day 2.