MalaysianGP: Hakim Danish Thrills Home Fans with Top 5 Friday, Books Direct Q2

Malaysian rising star Hakim Danish (AEON Credit - MT Helmets - MSi) gave his home fans plenty to cheer about on the opening day of the Malaysian Grand Prix at the Petronas Sepang International Circuit on Friday, 30 October 2026. The Terengganu-born 19-year-old was fifth in Free Practice 1 (FP1) and fourth in the afternoon Practice session, which earned him a direct place in Q2.

FP1 was held in dry conditions, and hot condition on track. Hakim found his rhythm quickly. He brought his times down from 2'14.789 on his first flying lap to 2'12.451 on lap seven, then pitted at the end of lap nine. Back on track, he went 2'12.254 and saved his best for the last of his 12 laps, a 2'11.834. That lap was only 0.026s slower than the sum of his best sectors. It put him fifth, 0.249s behind Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo), who topped the session with a 2'11.585. Newly crowned Moto3 World Champion Maximo Quiles and his CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team teammate Marco Morelli were second and third. Veda Ega Pratama (Honda Team Asia) beat Hakim to fourth by just 0.015s, and Joel Kelso (GRYD Racing) was only 0.007s behind him in sixth. Just 0.280s covered the top seven.

The afternoon Practice session decides the 14 riders who go straight into Q2, and conditions were very different. and the track was 48°C, 17°C hotter than in the morning. Hakim still found more speed. He set a 2'12.482 on his first run and pitted on lap seven. On his first flying lap after the stop, he clocked a 2'11.573. With the home crowd behind him, that lap put him top of the timesheets as the session entered its final 10 minutes.

He didn't stay there for long. David Almansa (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP), only 17th in FP1, went fastest with a 2'11.427. With less than five minutes left, Almansa led from Pratama and Hakim, and then a late lap from Rico Salmela (Red Bull KTM Tech3) pushed the Malaysian down to fourth. Two laps after his best, Hakim lapped in 2'11.786, which on its own would still have put him eighth. He finished 0.146s behind Almansa, 0.054s behind Pratama and just 0.016s ahead of Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing) in fifth. He was also 0.469s clear of the Q2 cut-off, set by Scott Ogden (CIP Green Power) in 14th.

The numbers suggest there is more to come. Hakim's best sectors in Practice added up to a 2'11.316. That is 0.257s quicker than his best lap and, on paper, 0.111s faster than Almansa's top time. He was also 0.261s faster than in the morning, and his Practice lap beat Carpe's session-topping FP1 time by 0.012s on a far hotter track.

Consistency set him apart. Hakim and Pratama were the only riders in the top five in both of Friday's sessions, while several big names had mixed fortunes. Carpe slipped from first to seventh in Practice, and Quiles had to settle for 11th. Morelli dropped from third to 22nd and must go through Q1. So must Guido Pini (Leopard Racing), who topped Q1 at Phillip Island but finished 15th here, 0.259s short. The battle with Pratama is one to watch. The Indonesian is one of Hakim's rivals for Rookie of the Year. He took his first Moto3 pole at Phillip Island and has now beaten the Malaysian in both sessions at Sepang.

It was a tougher day for Hakim's teammate Ryusei Yamanaka. The Japanese rider was 13th in FP1 with a 2'12.397 but dropped to 21st in Practice with a 2'12.570. That left him 0.528s short of the cut-off, so he must fight through Q1 on Saturday.

Friday was a big turnaround from Phillip Island a week earlier. There, Hakim crashed in Practice and finished the session 25th, 2.482s off the pace. Bad weather then wiped out Sunday's races, and with them his chance to fight back. Friday also builds on his wildcard outing at Sepang last year, when he went straight into Q2 and started 12th. A technical problem with five laps to go then ended his hopes of a top-10 finish.

The CzechGP winner arrived at his home round ninth in the standings. He has run at the front at several rounds this season, including Brazil and Catalunya, and he is chasing a top-five finish overall. Expectations are high. Before the weekend, Sepang International Circuit chief executive Azhan Shafriman Hanif said everyone hopes Hakim reaches at least the podium. However, he also urged the youngster not to put too much pressure on himself.

Hakim will now fight for a front-row start in Q2 on Saturday, 31 October 2026, before the Moto3 race on Sunday, 1 November 2026.

Credit Photo : ZK Racing