Alex Marquez fends off Bezzecchi as sun sets on Sepang Test. The 2025 GP winner is top but ‘Bez’ is hot on the chase as testing concludes in Malaysia.
Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) remains top of the pile as action concludes at Sepang, with the #73 – who won the Grand Prix in Malaysia last year – having just enough in hand to edge out Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) in second after a late push. Completing the top three is Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) after three days of interesting testing, with plenty to talk about beyond one-lap pace.
BK8 GRESINI RACING MOTOGP, DUCATI LENOVO TEAM, PERTAMINA ENDURO VR46 RACING TEAM:
The fastest Sprint simulation of the day went to 2025 silver medallist Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) who, upon completion of his 10-lap Sprint trial, had an average lap time of a 1’58.027. He ended the day fastest too with a 1’56.402; the #73 is very much in the groove at the track where he was victorious at last year.
Reigning World Champion Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) ran the 2025 front aero on both bikes during the morning and sampled elements of the 2026 aero package. However, the #93 suffered his first crash of the year at Turn 1 but was perfectly OK. For teammate Francesco Bagnaia, he stated he felt more comfortable than at any point throughout the Grand Prix weekend in October whilst also declaring which aero package he preferred. Interestingly, over a 10-lap Sprint simulation, the #63 had the upper-hand over his teammate, leaving food for thought within the factory Ducati squad. It’s fourth for Marquez and sixth for Bagnaia across the three days, attention turns to Buriram’s test.
Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) was another Ducati rider who fell, crashing at Turn 14. The Italian’s work focused mainly on adapting to the GP25 which he inherits for the new season and he ended the test in seventh across all days – with Diggia on the GP26 in that top three.
APRILIA RACING & TRACKHOUSE MOTOGP TEAM:
Bezzecchi ends the test second and as top Aprilia after a busy few days, topping the final session of Thursday. We’ve seen new aero options for the seat unit – call it what you want but it is certainly innovative – and despite being a full-time rider down with Jorge Martin’s (Aprilia Racing) absence, the Noale factory can leave buoyed by their breakthroughs. The final day saw the #72’s Sprint simulation end in the high 1’58s but at a circuit they’ve historically struggled at, they can say they’re back in BEZness.
In the Trackhouse camp, Raul Fernandez was their shining light as he finished seventh on the final day and P10 overall in what was a complete contrast to his 2025 testing struggles and subsequent day one crash. On the other side, Ai Ogura’s incremental improvements saw him finish P12 overall with a focus shifting to the place where the Japanese rider got his best result of 2025: Buriram.
HONDA HRC CASTROL & HONDA LCR:
After Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol) topped Day 2’s timesheets, the final day of testing in Sepang was a little trickier for HRC in general, with both the 2020 World Champion and teammate Luca Marini saying the lower grip conditions after Wednesday’s rain caused them to run into a few more issues. Still, the vibes are positive and a stride forward has been made in all areas with the 2026 RC213V. And, importantly, they’ve found gains with the engine that needs to be homologated for the season now HRC are in Rank C of the concessions. At the end of the three days, Mir finished P5 overall after his 1:56.8 and Marini P13.
For Castrol Honda LCR’s Johann Zarco and Pro Honda LCR’s Diogo Moreira there was plenty to talk about too. Speaking at the end of six days of testing in Malaysia, including the three-day Shakedown, it’s safe to say the Brazilian rookie was tired. However, the #11 was very happy with his progress. The braking area is somewhere Moreira is particularly pleased with, and the reigning Moto2 World Champion also mentioned that he and the team are happy with the base set up they’ve found.
On the other side of the box, Zarco – like the factory duo – has been feeding us positivity about the new package for the entire test. He was P16 overall on the standings.
RED BULL KTM FACTORY RACING & RED BULL KTM TECH3:
It’s just 0.010 between Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Maverick Viñales (Red Bull KTM Tech3) on the combined timesheets from the whole test as they slot into P8 and P9. It’s been a busy test and seemingly a positive one, with Viñales still saying that after trying out lots of different directions on Day 3, it’s the first setup he tried that he’d want to stay with – and he’d be happy to roll out for the GP in Buriram with it. He crashed near the end of play but rider ok.
Enea Bastianini (Red Bull KTM Tech3) ends the test in P11, less than half a second off Raul Fernandez ahead of him, who split him from Acosta and Viñales. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory) also said it was coming together and was P15 on the combined times, saying he didn’t put a lap together at full push.
MONSTER ENERGY YAMAHA MOTOGP & PRIMA PRAMAC YAMAHA MOTOGP:
There was great news from the off on Day 3: yes, the Iwata marque were going to run. They sat out Day 2 until they could diagnose the cause – knowing, according to Technical Director Max Bartolini, what the issue was at least. Having got Japan on the task from Asian time on Day 2 joined by their base in Italy as Europe woke up later in the day by the time action began on Thursday.
Alex Rins (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) was top Yamaha in P14 over all, Fabio Quartararo actually 17th on the timesheets from Day 1. Prima Pramac Racing’s Jack Miller and rookie Toprak Razgatlioglu were a little further back in P18 and P19 overall.
For full results, click HERE – as that’s a wrap on the Sepang Test. Swingarms, chassis, new aero front and rear… there’s been a little of everything up and down pitlane and, lest we overlook, an entirely new bike at Yamaha in the YZR-M1. Now we’re off into the city for the Season Launch in Kuala Lumpur and switch racing suits for a little black tie… but we’ll be back on track soon as Buriram awaits in two weeks.
Then, it’s time to get suited and booted for a record-breaking 22-GP calendar.
More from a press release issued by BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP:
Alex Marquez fastest over the three days in Sepang.
- DAY1:
FP1 – 1’57.487 – 31 laps
FP2 – 1’58.169 – 18 laps
- DAY2:
FP3 – 1’57.664 – 22 laps
FP4 – 1’58.094 – 5 laps
- DAY3:
FP5 – 1’56.404 – 31 Laps
FP6 – 1’57.295 – 14 Laps
Alex Marquez (1’56.404s – 121 laps): “It’s always good to finish the tests with the fastest time. The feeling is positive, and we also did some good things in the sprint simulation. We tried a lot and worked well, but it’s still just a test. The important thing was to finish these three days in good physical shape, and we managed to do that. Now we’ll have the Buriram tests to try other solutions and fine-tune everything ahead of the start of the Championship.”
More from a press release issued bu Honda HRC Castrol:
Honda HRC Castrol content with first outing of 2026.
Ninth and 16th for Joan Mir and Luca Marini on the final day of the Sepang Test, both pleased with the progress made and keen to return to the track at the pending Buriram Test.
Three days and some 265 laps later, the first test of the 2026 season has come and gone with Honda HRC Castrol collecting a wealth of data to analyse over the coming weeks. Hard work was rewarded with several moments of bright potential across the Sepang Test, Joan Mir and Luca Marini ultimately leaving satisfied with what they accomplished and motivated for what is to come.
Ending the ultimate day in ninth, Joan Mir concluded Thursday as the top Honda as all his competitors chased one off fast laps. Mir’s 1’56.874 from Wednesday morning remains as his quickest lap of the weekend and places him in the top five overall. A confidence building test for the 2020 World Champion who is aiming to start 2026 as he ended the previous season and once again battle for the podium.
Luca Marini leaves Malaysia having progressed with all areas of the Honda RC213V and despite ending the final day in 16th, he remains confident in the changes made by engineers over the winter. Less the two seconds split the top 18 riders on the final day, just a few tenths making a big difference in the standings. The unique layout of the Buriram Circuit will give the #10 another opportunity to assess the 2026 package in different conditions and further improve his feeling.
Now both Mir and Marini will head to Kuala Lumpur city centre for the MotoGP Season Launch. After that, just the Buriram Test awaits before the year truly begins with the Thai GP.
Joan Mir: “Today we were able to do a longer run, a bit more than a Sprint Race distance. Our pace was quite good, but today we saw the other riders make a step as well, so we need to remain focused and keep working. We’ve made a step over last year, but everyone else has been working hard as well. The position is not super important today, we had to adapt our plan and cut out our time attack, so it was not as impressive as yesterday. If tomorrow was a race, we can be there in the top five.”
Luca Marini: “We improved the bike with another step today, a satisfying end to the three days but like always – everyone else has made a step. The situation is similar to the GP last year in terms of the gap, so we have to work well in Thailand in a few weeks. We will have a couple of new things in Thailand as well, so there’s still plenty to do before the first race. It’s just the first test and people are always playing a bit, so we will wait to see what happens at the first race. Looking forward to it. Thanks to the team for their hard work of the winter and this test.”
More from a press release issued by Monster Energy Yamaha:
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Wrap Up Sepang Test Day 3 in P12 & P21st.
After sitting out Day 2 of the Malaysia MotoGP Official Test, the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team were back in action on Day 3. Álex Rins and Augusto Fernández (replacing the injured Fabio Quartararo) wrapped up testing in 12th and 21st place respectively in the overall Day 3 rankings.
Following overnight investigations in Japan and Italy into the technical issue encountered on Day 1 of the Malaysia MotoGP Official Test, Yamaha returned to action on Day 3. Álex Rins and Augusto Fernández (replacing the injured Fabio Quartararo) completed a productive day on track, finishing 12th and 21st respectively in today’s timesheets.
Rins posted a 1’57.580s best time in Session 1 on lap 11/26. As the majority of the rider field didn’t improve their times in the afternoon, that lap was fast enough to earn him 12th position in today’s classification, 1.178s from first. Completing 10 laps in Session 2 brought his Day-3 lap tally up to 36.
Fernández took on bike development duties for the injured Quartararo, making the test rider part of the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team for the day. Fernández only took part in the morning session. His best time, a 1’59.278s set on lap 19/20, had him place 21st in the Day 3 rankings and in the combined results, 2.876s from the top.
The team will now travel to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for the MotoGP Launch event, held from 6-7 February. The team will be back in action on track on 21-22 February for the Thailand MotoGP Official Test in Buriram.
Alex Rins: “We have been able to test all the items that we had to try here in Sepang during the Shakedown Test and the IRTA Test and made a selection of items we like for Buriram. Unfortunately, because of a technical issue and safety precaution, we couldn’t ride yesterday, losing some time on track. Luckily, today we were able to ride again, and we completed our plans. We will work more on settings in Buriram.”
Massimo Meregalli: “It has been a productive test. We have been able to evaluate most of the items that we had scheduled to try here. We chose the main topics for this test, like chassis, rear arm, and aerodynamics, with which we will start the Buriram Test – and this was the priority. Even though we were forced to temporarily halt the test due to a technical issue that occurred on Day 1, we were able to understand the cause and could finish today‘s test thanks to the big effort of the engineers here in Malaysia as well as in Japan and Italy. What we didn‘t have time for was fine-tuning the set-ups, which we will, of course, move to the Buriram Test.”
More from a press release issued by Prima Pramac Yamaha:
Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP Team finishes intense days of winter testing in Sepang.
Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP concluded the three days of Official MotoGP Winter Testing at Sepang, completing an intense programme of evaluation and development. Jack Miller and Toprak Razgatlıoğlu faced a demanding learning curve with the new bike — and, for Razgatlıoğlu, a completely new environment — but collected positive feedback across a wide range of set-ups tested during the Sepang test.
Gino Borsoi – Team Director: “During the Shakedown, to be honest, things went quite well and we completed all the work we had planned. The three days here were not easy — especially for Toprak — with the conditions and the high temperatures in Malaysia, but they both managed the workload well and we brought home important information. Going into the Official Test, we honestly expected to do a little better. In the two days we were out on the track, we were able to run and continue evaluating the material Yamaha provided. Our goal was not to chase lap time, but to build stability in performance. On the final day we found some improvements and, from a chassis point of view, the bike is quite competitive and works very well. It‘s clear that we are still missing some top speed, but Yamaha is already working on this, so we‘re not concerned.”
Toprak Razgatlıoğlu: “It’s still difficult for me and the learning curve is steep, but the feedback we‘re getting is positive and we’re making progress. I’m trying to understand where I need to improve and also how much I need to adapt my riding style to this bike. Jack helped me a lot today — I followed him for a few laps to understand how to approach some corners that are still tricky for me. I was hoping to get into the 1’57s and even though I felt fast, the lap time didn‘t come yet. But I‘m pushing every day to learn and improve, and I‘m already looking forward to continuing this work at the next test in Buriram.”
Jack Miller: “It wasn’t an easy day, but these things are part of the process. If you expect everything to run smoothly, you’re being naïve — we‘re pushing the most high-performance machines in the world to their limits. Sometimes you need to pause, reassess what‘s needed and then get back to work. Of course I would have liked a bit more from this test, but I really believe the bike still has plenty of potential. The last few days were busy, with a lot of parts going on and off the bike, and the key is not just trying things, but properly analysing what works, what doesn‘t and where you can find a compromise for the future.
More from a press release issued by Pro Honda LCR:
Pro Honda LCR rider Diogo Moreira finished 19th on Thursday at the Sepang Test.
- Brazilian rider Diogo Moreira completed his first official test, which allowed him to continue getting to know the bike and learning.
- Today, Diogo completed a total of 46 laps, which, added to the 34 on Wednesday and the 39 on Tuesday, brings the total to 119 laps of hard work over three days.
- The rider admits that, after the Shakedown and the Sepang Test, he is pleased with the work done and motivated ahead of the next test in Buriram, as he has already felt improvements and gained important learnings at the beginning of his MotoGP journey.
More from a press release issued by Castrol Honda LCR:
Castrol Honda LCR rider Johann Zarco finished 15th on Thursday at the Sepang Test.
- French rider Johann Zarco and his crew ended the Sepang Test with consistent and positive feelings after some initial struggles.
- Today, Johann completed a total of 58 laps, which, added to the 33 on Wednesday and the 60 on Tuesday, brings the total to 151 laps of hard work over three days.
- The rider admits that the bike has improved and that, with a few adjustments, he is confident he will have a lot of fun, a positive sign heading into the Buriram Test.
More from a press release issued by Red Bull KTM Tech3 :
Red Bull KTM Tech3 concludes positive three-day test in Sepang.
Red Bull KTM Tech3 laid strong foundations for the upcoming 2026 MotoGP season during the first official test of the year at the Sepang International Circuit, home of the Malaysian Grand Prix.
The team completed an intensive three-day programme with the KTM RC16, as teammates Maverick Viñales and Enea Bastianini logged an impressive combined total of 280 laps around the 5.54km circuit.
Featuring one of the longest laps on the MotoGP calendar, Sepang’s mix of slow corners, long straights and fast, flowing sections provided the ideal environment to work through a comprehensive testing programme. Across the three days, the Tech3 riders evaluated a range of components and updates, including a new chassis, swingarm and aerodynamic package.
Following a short winter break, the opening day of the Sepang Test saw the RC16 continue its development trajectory, with encouraging progress across all four KTM bikes. A late push saw Viñales take his #12 bike to P3, while teammate Bastianini focused on fine-tuning his positioning on the bike and completed the day in P12.
Hot and humid conditions continued on day two, before rain arrived ahead of the afternoon session and brought running to an early end for much of the field, including Bastianini’s #23 machine. One of the few riders to remain on track was Viñales, who switched to a wet set-up and completed a further eight laps in challenging conditions, ending the day in P5.
The final day of testing shifted focus towards longer runs, with Bastianini completing a Sprint simulation in the morning session. With only a hint of rain in the afternoon, the team continued to work through its remaining test items, bringing the Sepang Test to a close with Bastianini finishing the day in P10 and Viñales in P14.
Across the three days of running, Tech3 completed its planned testing programme in full, gathering valuable data and continuing to refine the KTM RC16 package ahead of the opening race. Maverick Viñales finished the test in ninth position, with teammate Enea Bastianini close behind in P11, marking a productive and positive start to the 2026 MotoGP pre-season.
Tech3 will return to action at the final official pre-season test in Buriram on 21–22 February, ahead of the opening round of the 2026 MotoGP season in Thailand from 27 February–1 March.
The completion of the Sepang Test now paves the way for the MotoGP Season Launch in Kuala Lumpur on 6–7 February, where fans will have the opportunity to see the KTM RC16 in action as Viñales and Bastianini ride through the streets of the Malaysian capital.
Maverick Viñales: “This has been a positive test for me. On the first day, I was really happy with the bike, and you could see from the strong lap-times that day that I was comfortable. We then build on this, by working through the entire test programme the rest of the days, looking at set-up changes and different items. I feel positive heading into the start of the season with this bike. There are still a lot of areas for us to explore, but we will spend the next week looking at the best plan heading into the Thailand test. Another important thing for me is that I’ve assessed my physical fitness at this event, I’m feeling really good on the bike and now looking ahead to the start of the season.”
Enea Bastianini: “We’ve completed a lot over the last three days and I’m happy with the results. We did a lot of work over the winter on the bike, particularly in the wind tunnel, and you can see the positive changes out on track. I think we’ve improved in every area, and I feel comfortable on the bike. I have spent a lot of time with my new Crew Chief, Andreas Madrid, this week and I feel really confident heading into the 2026 season with him. Of course, this is just the first test, so we want to analyse what we’ve worked on here and then try some more things in Thailand so we can continue to improve.”
Nicolas Goyon, Team Mananger: “I’m pleased to say that we are leaving the Sepang test with a positive feeling, with most of our test plan completed and we’re happy.
A key thing on Maverick’s side was to check his shoulder condition on a MotoGP bike. We have clearly seen across the three days that he is back to full strength, which is really positive. Alongside this, one of the key objectives for him at this test was to check the 2026 parts. We saw that he was very quick straight away with the standard bike and then step-by-step we implemented each new part for this season. There are some areas that we still need to work on, but overall, we can already see that this package is a bit quicker and he’s ended the test in P9. We know it’s just a test, but to see Maverick back in the top 10 is a real positive for us.
For Enea, one of the main targets was to build some confidence with his new Crew Chief, Andreas, and this has very clearly been done. They’ve worked hard over the last three days, completing over 120 laps and working through the entire programme. We’ve made some adjustments to his position on the bike and he’s now feeling really comfortable and in control – which was another key aim for us this week. We are pleased that we can walk away from this week with another item crossed off our list. He finishes the test in P11, which is already big step forward compared to last year.
I want to thank the whole team for their hard work across these three intensive days and now we must look forward to the next test in two weeks in Thailand, ahead of the start of the season.”
