MalaysianGP: Marc Marquez Tops Sepang Friday Despite Crash
The championship leader bounces back from a late-session fall to head a Ducati 1-2, while injured rival Jorge Martin plays it safe and prepares for a crunch Saturday.
Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) shrugged off an early crash to set the pace on the opening day of the Petronas Grand Prix of Malaysia at the Petronas Sepang International Circuit on Friday, 30 October 2026.
The reigning World Champion bounced back from a tumble at Turn 15 to clock a blistering 1'57.000 time-attack lap, edging out brother Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) by 0.109s [classification (27)]. Ai Ogura (SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team) produced a stellar late charge to round out the top three on a scorching afternoon where track temperatures reached 49°C
The drama began before the session had even reached its third lap. Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing), arriving at Sepang carrying injuries sustained in his heavy Phillip Island Sprint crash, completed just three laps before pulling into the pit lane. Opting to preserve his physical condition for Saturday's action, the Spaniard sat out the remainder of Practice, leaving him 21st overall and condemning the 2024 World Champion to a tricky appearance in Q1
As Marquez regrouped from his early fall and returned to the track with 15 minutes remaining, the times tumbled. Marc blasted to the top of the leaderboard, nearly four tenths clear of the field at the time.
Late improvements shook up the order as Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) secured fourth, just ahead of Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) and Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing). Red Bull KTM Tech3 duo Enea Bastianini and Maverick Viñales claimed seventh and eighth respectively, marking the first time three KTMs have booked direct Q2 spots since Hungary last year. Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) and a resilient Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol) rounded out the top ten to secure automatic progression
A flurry of late drama caught out several heavy hitters. Johann Zarco (Castrol Honda LCR) crashed at Turns 7 and 8, narrowly missing the cut in 11th by 0.187s. Double World Champion Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) suffered a front-end tuck at Turn 1, finishing 12th and joining Zarco in the Q1 scrap
With Martin planning to test his fitness in Saturday morning's FP2 session before tackling Q1, and Marquez looking ominous on both single-lap pace and race simulation, the stage is set for an explosive Saturday at Sepang.
Credit Photo : MotoGP
