The second day of official 2026 pre-season testing at the Sepang International Circuit was a tale of two Japanese giants heading in polar opposite directions. In contrast, Joan Mir spearheaded a resurgent Honda charge by shattering the 1:57 barrier.
Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol) sent a clear message to the paddock on Wednesday morning. Capitalizing on the cooler early conditions, the 2020 World Champion clocked a blistering 1:56.874, making him the fastest Honda rider ever at the Malaysian venue. This lap didn’t just top the charts; it marked the first time the RC213V has dipped into the coveted 1:56 bracket at Sepang, signaling that Honda’s winter development is bearing significant fruit.
Mir’s teammate Luca Marini backed up the factory’s progress by finishing 11th overall, while the LCR camp saw rookie Diogo Moreira brave his first-ever MotoGP laps in wet conditions after afternoon rain curtailed dry running.
The biggest shock of the day occurred behind the pit shutters. After Fabio Quartararo withdrew following a Day 1 crash and a separate engine failure, Yamaha opted to keep all machinery—including those of Alex Rins, Jack Miller, and Toprak Razgatlioglu—in the box for the duration of Wednesday.
The Iwata marque confirmed they are investigating a “known issue” with the all-new V4 powerplant but have yet to identify the root cause. With safety as the priority, Yamaha’s testing program is effectively on ice, leaving their riders and engineers in a race against time before the final day of testing on Thursday.
Top 5 of Sepang Test 2026 Day 2
- Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol) 1:56.874
- Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46) 1:56.983 (+0.109)
- Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46) 1:57.049 (+0.175)
- Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory) 1:57.116 (+0.242)
- Maverick Viñales (Red Bull KTM Tech3) 1:57.126 (+0.252)
Credit Photo : MotoGP
