Alex Marquez Holds Firm as Sepang Test Draws to a Close
As the sun set on the Sepang International Circuit, Alex Marquez once again found himself at the top of the timing screens. The BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP rider, who claimed victory at last year’s Malaysian Grand Prix, ended the three-day Sepang Test as the benchmark man, fending off a late and determined charge from Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing). Fabio Di Giannantonio completed the top three overall, capping off a test that delivered far more than simple one-lap headlines.
Marquez’s advantage at the front may have been slim, but his consistency, race-run strength, and comfort at a circuit that clearly suits his style underlined why he leaves Malaysia as one of the paddock’s quiet confidence stories heading into the next phase of pre-season.
Gresini, Ducati & VR46: Sprint Pace and Subtle Signals
Alex Marquez didn’t just top the timesheets—he also delivered the most convincing Sprint simulation of the final day. The 2025 championship runner-up completed a 10-lap Sprint run with an impressive average lap time of 1’58.027, reinforcing his status as the rider to beat across short-run race pace. He also closed the test with a best lap of 1’56.402, confirming his strong rhythm at Sepang, where he triumphed just months ago.
In the factory Ducati garage, reigning World Champion Marc Marquez split his time between familiar and future hardware. The #93 ran the 2025 front aero package on both bikes during the morning before sampling selected elements of Ducati’s 2026 aerodynamic concept. His test wasn’t without drama, as he suffered his first fall of the year at Turn 1, but the incident was minor and Marquez walked away unharmed.
Francesco Bagnaia, meanwhile, quietly gathered momentum. The double MotoGP World Champion reported feeling more comfortable than he did at any stage during last October’s race weekend and was clear about which aero configuration he prefers moving forward. Interestingly, Bagnaia held the upper hand over Marquez during a 10-lap Sprint simulation—an internal data point that is sure to spark discussion within the Ducati Lenovo Team as attention now turns to Buriram. Across the full test, Marc Marquez finished fourth overall, with Bagnaia sixth.
At VR46, Franco Morbidelli endured a brief setback with a crash at Turn 14 but remained focused on adapting to the GP25, which he inherits for the upcoming season. The Italian ended the test seventh overall. His teammate Di Giannantonio, running the newer GP26, was firmly inside the top three, highlighting Ducati’s depth across specifications.
Aprilia Push Forward as Bezzecchi Leads the Charge
Marco Bezzecchi emerged from Sepang as Aprilia’s standout performer, finishing second overall and topping the final session of Thursday. The Italian’s late push nearly dethroned Alex Marquez and confirmed that Aprilia has made tangible progress—especially at a circuit where the Noale manufacturer has traditionally struggled.
New aerodynamic solutions drew plenty of attention, particularly around the seat unit, where unconventional vertical elements were tested extensively. Despite being one full-time rider down due to Jorge Martin’s absence, Aprilia leaves Malaysia encouraged by both performance and direction. Bezzecchi’s Sprint simulation hovered in the high 1’58s, and while there’s still work to do, the message from Sepang was clear: Aprilia is back in the fight.
At Trackhouse MotoGP Team, Raul Fernandez delivered one of his most positive tests to date. Seventh on the final day and tenth overall, the Spaniard showed a complete turnaround from his difficult 2025 pre-season. His teammate Ai Ogura continued his steady upward curve, finishing 12th overall as focus now shifts to Buriram—a circuit where Ogura enjoyed his strongest result of last season.
Honda Leave Malaysia with Momentum and Meaningful Gains
Following Joan Mir’s headline-grabbing performance on Day 2, the final day proved slightly more challenging for Honda as grip levels dropped after overnight rain. Both Mir and Luca Marini acknowledged that conditions exposed some weaknesses, but the broader picture remains positive.
Crucially, Honda HRC Castrol confirmed engine gains that must now be homologated, with the factory operating under Rank C concessions for 2026. Across chassis, electronics, and power delivery, the RC213V has taken a clear step forward. Mir ended the test fifth overall thanks to his 1’56.8 lap, while Marini finished 13th after focusing on longer runs and setup refinement.
At LCR Honda, Johann Zarco continued to echo optimism throughout the test, feeding back positively on the new package and ending the week 16th overall. Rookie Diogo Moreira, meanwhile, completed an exhausting but invaluable six days in Malaysia including the Shakedown Test. The reigning Moto2 World Champion highlighted braking stability as a particular strength and expressed satisfaction with the base setup discovered alongside his crew—an important foundation as his MotoGP education continues.
KTM: Close Margins and Growing Confidence
Pedro Acosta and Maverick Viñales were separated by just 0.010 seconds on the combined timesheets, finishing eighth and ninth respectively. Both riders described the test as busy but productive, with Viñales noting that after exploring multiple directions, the very first setup he tried remained his preferred option—an encouraging sign of baseline clarity.
Viñales suffered a late crash on Thursday but was unharmed. Enea Bastianini ended the test 11th, less than half a second behind Raul Fernandez, while Brad Binder finished 15th overall. Binder admitted he never fully pieced together a maximum-attack lap but stressed that progress is being made, particularly as he continues working with new crew chief Phil Marron.
Yamaha Return to the Track as Focus Shifts Forward
The best news for Yamaha on Day 3 was simple but significant: they were back on track. After sitting out Wednesday to diagnose a technical issue, the Iwata manufacturer resumed running once engineers in Japan and Italy collaborated overnight to confirm the root cause.
Alex Rins emerged as Yamaha’s top finisher in 14th overall, while Fabio Quartararo—whose Day 1 crash curtailed his test—ended 17th based on his earlier time. At Prima Pramac Yamaha, Jack Miller and MotoGP rookie Toprak Razgatlioglu completed the test in 18th and 19th respectively, continuing their adaptation to the all-new YZR-M1.
Sepang Wrapped, Buriram Beckons
With the Sepang Test now complete, teams leave Malaysia with a wealth of data covering new swingarms, revised chassis, fresh aero concepts front and rear—and in Yamaha’s case, an entirely new motorcycle philosophy. The paddock now swaps leathers for black tie as the season launch in Kuala Lumpur takes centre stage, before attention quickly returns to the track.
Next stop: Buriram, in two weeks’ time. And after that, it’s full throttle into a record-breaking 22-round MotoGP season.
The real story of 2026 is only just beginning.
