More from a press release issued by CASTROL Honda LCR: 

Jack Miller quickly put behind him the disappointment of last Sunday‘s early crash in his home GP at Phillip Island, closing today‘s Malaysian GP Practice — round 20 of the MotoGP World Championship — in third place. The session turned chaotic in its final stages when rain briefly fell on the Sepang circuit, making it seem like the classification — and the list of the top 10 riders advancing directly to Q2 — was already set. But, as often happens here, the sun quickly returned, drying the asphalt in minutes and allowing everyone to head back out for a last push on new tires.

What had been shaping up to be a complicated session for the Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP team — with Oliveira sitting 15th and Miller 17th — suddenly changed complexion. The Australian stopped the clock at 1‘57”840, climbing to third overall. Oliveira also managed to improve in those final laps, though it wasn‘t enough to move him higher than P18.

Tomorrow, at 10:50 a.m. local time (4:50 a.m. CET), the Portuguese rider will chase one of the two remaining Q2 spots in Q1, while Miller will look to secure a front-row start shortly after. Then, at 3:00 p.m. local time (9:00 a.m. CET), it‘ll be time for the Sprint Race, handing out the weekend‘s first points.

Malaysian GP schedule:

• Saturday: 10:10 (4:10 CET) Free Practice 2; 10:50 (4:50 CET) Qualifying; 15:00 (9:00 CET) Sprint Race (10 laps – 55,43 km)
• Sunday: 10:40 (3:40 CET) Warm-up; 15:00 (8:00 CET) Race (20 laps – 110,86 km)

GINO BORSOI – Team Director, Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP

“A half-good day — the good half coming from Jack, who felt comfortable right from the start and never complained about the bike‘s behavior, as he then proved with his third-fastest time in Practice. I‘m really happy for him; we won‘t have much to change on his bike ahead of tomorrow. On the other hand, there‘s quite a lot of work to do on Miguel‘s side — he still can‘t find a good feeling, and the electronics aren‘t responding the way he needs, so there‘s plenty to sort out. I hope to see him take a step forward tomorrow.”

Jack Miller: “I was very nervous at the end of the session. On the first time attack I got the yellow flag of Alex Marquez, tried to reset but then in turn 1-2-3 it was starting to rain and at that point I was P16, P17, something like that. Thankfully we were able to get out again, there was a break in the clouds and it‘s so warm here that all the little water that there was on the track dissipated pretty quick and so I was able to put up a couple of good times. The bike is behaving pretty well, all of the areas where we don‘t have to accelerate are really good. It was important to secure a direct place in Q2, now let‘s see what we can do tomorrow.”

Miguel Oliveira: “Not a great day. The feeling on the front end under braking was quite strange, like the bike was not constant through the entire braking phase. As for the rear, I could bring the tire to bite enough to generate some grip out of the corner, so it was not a fantastic day, but we three fast Yamahas in front of me we have some data to look and have another chance tomorrow.”

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More from a press release issued by Honda HRC Castrol: 

Mir rises above chaotic Malaysian GP Friday.

Just when everything looked set, the weather played its part to produce an electrifying end to practice. Joan Mir continued his front-running efforts in fourth as other riders halted Luca Marini’s attempt to crack the top ten right at the end.

There was no waiting around at the Sepang International Circuit for Joan Mir who made his intentions clear immediately, quickly getting to grips with his Honda RC213V. Third in FP1 and fourth fastest in the crucial afternoon session, Mir was only rider to stay within the top five in both sessions. Keeping his cool even when the conditions began to change towards the end of the session, Mir demonstrated his connection with the Honda RC213V this weekend. The Honda HRC Castrol rider’s consistency bodes well for the rest of the weekend as Mir chases more points and progress in his best season to date with the factory team.

A late shower of rain in the afternoon kickstarted a flurry of activity with just over ten minutes left and plenty of Q2 places still open, Luca Marini having spent the majority of the afternoon working on his race setup. Having been a near permanent fixture well inside the top ten, Marini was determined to keep the pace he was showing. With so little time left after the rain and everyone pushing for Q2, traffic would become a factor and the #10 was forced to settle for 11th, just 0.062s shy of the top ten after taking avoiding action.

Weather forecasts remain unpredictable, the grid and Saturday’s Sprint as wide open as ever. 0.8s splitting the top 15, everything remains open and as promising as ever for all four Honda HRC riders on the grid.

Joan Mir: “Today was a really good day, a positive day from the first exit of FP1. Straight away my feeling with the bike was strong and our package is looking competitive. We did a lot of work with the team yesterday to plan the setup and everything and it meant we were able to accomplish a lot today. When you start with the bike already feeling like this, you’re only doing small adjustments for the conditions, and everything is easier. After the rain, you had the potential to lose everything, but we showed our level by bouncing back really well. Tomorrow we can improve again and I’m looking forward to getting out on track again.”

Luca Marini: “Unlucky this Friday, bad luck in the last ten minutes. I was spending a lot of time on track in the afternoon working on our pace and setting for the race so when I went out with the first tyre, that’s when it started to rain. We had the possibility to stay in Q2, but on my final flying lap other riders were there in Sector 4 and I had to lift. The important thing is that we can see clearly the progress we have made since the winter test here and it’s really impressive. Q1 tomorrow will be tough with the other riders but like we’ve seen today, a lot can happen and we never give up.”

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More from a press release issued by Monster Energy Yamaha: 

Quartararo and Rins Secure Places in Sepang Saturday’s Q2.

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP had to think on their feet on the Grand Prix of Malaysia Friday as the conditions were changeable at the Sepang International Circuit. Through strategic riding, Fabio Quartararo and Álex Rins finished inside the top 10 in the afternoon Practice. They secured fifth and tenth place respectively, putting both riders on the Q2 entry list.

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Fabio Quartararo and Álex Rins showed speed in the Grand Prix of Malaysia Practice session. Despite a mixed first day at the Sepang track in terms of weather conditions, the teammates set solid lap times and successfully put in their bids for places in tomorrow’s Q2. They finished in fifth and tenth place respectively in the Practice rankings.

Quartararo had a good start to the Malaysian GP weekend and had set the eighth fastest time in FP1 before a sudden downpour. He soon held the same position in the afternoon Practice live timing, but the time attacks kicked off earlier than normal as dark clouds started to form. The Frenchman was temporarily bumped out of the top 10 but soon recovered to P1. However, he wasn’t home dry just yet. Several competitors saved their best effort for last, pushing him back to the danger zone. The Yamaha man responded with a 1’57.868s best time, set on lap 15/15, which earned him fifth place, 0.309s from the top.

Rins struggled to find grip in the morning, and with a monsoon ending progress early, he finished FP1 in 18th place. He knew he had work to do in the afternoon and made the most of the available dry track time in the Practice before starting his first shoot out. He timed it perfectly, before spots of rain started to fall, and found some extra speed to move up to fifth. However, as more hot laps came in, he was pushed outside the top 10 again. During the final time attack the Spaniard gave it his all. His 1’58.117s, clocked on lap 16, moved him temporarily into fourth again. Keen to put in another lap as the times kept dropping, he set a fastest first sector on his last try but crashed in Turn 5. He walked away unhurt and still held P10 at the end of the Practice, 0.558s from the top.

The Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team will be back in action tomorrow for the Saturday MotoGP sessions: FP2 will be held from 10:10-10:40 GMT+8, followed by the qualifying sessions from 10:50-11:30, and the 10-lap Sprint, which starts at 15:00.

MASSIMO MEREGALLI – Team Director, Monster Energy Yamaha

“The mixed conditions made it a busy and tricky but also strategically interesting day. Despite a lack of rear grip – which seems to be a general problem as the overall field is quite far from the all-time lap record at this track – and despite the constantly changing track conditions, we were able to make progress. Both our riders did a great job adapting to the changes. They made the most of the available dry track time and pushed when it counted most. Álex had a crash in Turn 5 and was unable to finish his second time attack, but the most important thing is that he wasn’t injured and is still in Q2. Having both riders inside the top 10 was the goal for today, and we achieved this. Our one-lap speed is pretty decent, but we will continue to work on long-run pace. The team will work hard this evening and tomorrow morning to help the riders find something extra for tomorrow’s qualifying and the Sprint.”

Fabio Quartararo: “I’m not feeling great on the bike so far. When the grip is low, we tend to struggle. The feeling is a bit different than usual, and we haven’t been able to find a solution yet. We know we are fast over one lap, but we are still trying to figure out how to improve our pace over a race distance. Hopefully, the weather can help us out a bit tomorrow.”

Alex Rins: “The track conditions were quite tricky in the wet and also in mixed conditions with some drops of rain. But today managing the tyres was the main difficulty. In FP1, we were suffering a lot with the rear tyre and also the front. We were using tyres that we didn’t use in the test, because we know they don’t work, but we needed to save the other tyres, so we used these tyres today. Anyway, apart from this we struggled with grip in the Practice too. It was dry, but the grip on track was not perfect. But we tried to find traction on the bike and a good set-up, and in the end I’m inside the top 10, so this is quite positive. I crashed in corner five because I was on the limit, but I’m in Q2 for the third time in a row, so I’m quite happy.”

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More from a press release issued by Red Bull KTM Tech3: 

The Malaysian Grand Prix is truly on for the Red Bull KTM Tech3 MotoGP™ squad, with an eventful first day having taken place at the Sepang International Circuit. The rain played a part in Friday’s festivities making the afternoon’s Practice a tricky one to go through, but Pol Espargaro stood out once again as he claimed the 8th place of Practice in Malaysia, to qualify directly to Q2, just one week after he did it in Australia. Enea Bastianini finished in 19th, and he will have to go through a busy Q1, alongside the three last race winners who failed to make the top 10-cut.

While Maverick Viñales continued to focus on his recovery spending a few key days at the Red Bull Athlete Performance Center in Austria, Pol Espargaro continued to do his things on track, with an excellent Friday in Sepang. On a layout that he obviously knows like his pocket, the Spaniard had the feeling straight away on his RC16 on Friday morning, as he wrapped up FP1 with the 4th fastest time in 2’00.581, just 0.382 secs off rookie Fermin Aldeguer, fastest this morning. In a rather unpredictable Practice session disrupted by the rain, Pol Espargaro managed to brilliantly stand out, and he placed his RC16 within the top 10 alongside Pedro Acosta who took the honours. The number 44 managed to clock in an excellent late 1’58.055 that had him in provisional 3rd within minutes to the end. However, red sectors were all over the place in a hectic final Practice showdown, but Pol’s lap was enough to make the Q2 cut in the end!

Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite the same feeling on Enea Bastianini’s side of the box, who struggled all day through to get comfortable on his KTM, despite already having 3 full track days in the bag during the pre-season. The Italian’s best in FP1 was a 2’01.338, 1.139 seconds from the top of the timesheets. Bastianini headed to Practice eager to try making some improvements, but the struggles continued. An improved lap in 1’58.953 as the sun was out again was his best, one that placed him in P19. Bastianini will face Q1 on Saturday morning at 10:50 local time (UTC+8), shortly after Free Practice 2 kicking off the day at 10:10. Then the Tissot Sprint will take place at 15:00 LT, for 10 laps!

Pol Espargaro: “I am very pleased with the work done today! In the continuity of Australia, everything comes together when I push, so it is a great feeling. After the first lap time, it started to rain, and I was begging for more rain, because my lap time was already fast, and I did not know if I could go faster! Then, we all went for it again, and I could improve by half a second, which is so fast, but still 0.5 seconds slower than Pedro (Acosta), but it is amazing for us anyway. The weekend is starting well, with two KTMs inside the top 10, so let’s try to keep the work going, and hopefully we can qualify well for both sprint and race.”

Enea Bastianini: “We are once again in a similar scenario to all the other weekends. Friday feels like we are riding this bike for the first time, then we get better on Saturday, but it is too late for Sunday. The confidence on the bike here is too low, we did not get any positive feeling today. It feels very strange to be two seconds slower than a few years ago, on a track that I have always been fast on, and I don’t know what we can do to fix that, without the confidence. We are far from our potential right now, so we have a lot of work to do to get back a good feeling.”

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More from a press release issued by BK8 Gresini Racing Team:

Q2 for Alex Marquez despite two crashes, Fermin Aldeguer excels in FP then finishes 13th.

Free Practice 1 – MalaysianGP

• 1^st – FERMIN ALDEGUER #54 (2’00.199s)
• 7^th – ALEX MARQUEZ #73 (2’00.720s) 

Practice – MalaysianGP

• 9^th – ALEX MARQUEZ #73 (1’58.057s) Q2
• 13^th – FERMIN ALDEGUER #54 (1’58.279s) Q1  

Alex Marquez: “It surely wasn’t our best Friday to kick off the weekend. I had a couple of crashes, and the track conditions were quite different from testing. In the first crash, I also felt some discomfort in my neck, which affected me quite a bit in the afternoon. We hit our minimum target, but there’s still a lot of work to do ahead of tomorrow.”

Fermin Aldeguer: “The feeling was much better than what the final result shows. We were quickest this morning and for most of the second session. Then a small issue with the bike and the threat of rain made me a little nervous once I got back to the pits. After that, I just couldn’t put together the right lap, but there’s still plenty of margin for tomorrow.”

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More from a press release issued by Aprilia:

Challenging Friday for Aprilia Racing at Sepang.

The opening day of practice at the Petronas Sepang International Circuit proved challenging for Aprilia Racing. The particular track conditions and consequently limited grip affected the sessions. In FP1, rain started to fall twelve minutes before the end, preventing Marco Bezzecchi from improving his time. The Italian rider finished the session in fifth place, just three tenths off the fastest lap. In the afternoon, during the practice session and after a light rain, Bezzecchi returned to the track but was unable to set an ideal time-attack, finishing the session in fifteenth, meaning he will go through Q1.

Standing in for Jorge Martín, Lorenzo Savadori used Friday to continue development work on the RS-GP25. The Italian rider finished the practice in twenty-first place and will take part in Q1 on Saturday.

Marco Bezzecchi: “The conditions certainly didn’t help, but they were the same for everyone. Unfortunately, I struggled a little more than on previous Fridays, and we aren’t quite there yet. We still have time to try to turn things around, and we’ll aim to make the most of Q1.”

Lorenzo Savadori: “As in recent GP’s when I’ve stood in for Jorge, we’re continuing to test new components and conduct some experiments with the electronics. The conditions were unusual, and we all struggled with them. On Saturday, we’ll all be looking to take a step forward.”

Paolo Bonora – Team Manager: “Sepang is a track where we aim to build on the development work and progress achieved over the season. It’s been a challenging start: the track conditions weren’t ideal, and limited grip certainly didn’t help. Nonetheless, we remain confident despite Friday’s challenges because we’ve already demonstrated several times this year that by staying focused and working closely with our riders, we can effectively address our weak points.”

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More from a press release issued by Ducati Lenovo: 

Challenging Practice at Sepang for the Ducati Lenovo Team: Bagnaia twelfth, Pirro twenty-second and both in Q1. 

The Ducati Lenovo Team completed the opening day of action at the Sepang International Circuit, venue of the twentieth Grand Prix of the season. After a solid performance in Free Practice, Francesco Bagnaia finished Practice in twelfth place. Like his teammate Michele Pirro, who was twenty-second, he will take part in Q1 tomorrow.

Bagnaia, second in the morning’s wet FP session, remained in the top three for most of Practice. However, with light rain arriving in the final minutes, Pecco was unable to improve his lap time and ended the day twelfth, just 0.089s away from the top ten. Michele Pirro continued his development work on the Desmosedici GP to conclude day one in twenty-second position.

The Ducati Lenovo Team will be back on track tomorrow morning at 10:10 local time (GMT +8) for Free Practice 2, followed by Q1 at 10:50 and Q2 at 11:15. The twentieth Sprint of the season will take place over ten laps at 15:00.

Francesco Bagnaia: “We made a small step forward and it was a clear one, as we were in the top positions in both sessions. Unfortunately, there was a little bit of chaos towards the end of Practice and we couldn’t improve, so we missed the direct seed to Q2. We must stay calm and keep working: tomorrow’s Q1 will be both important and challenging, but the goal is to keep growing in terms of feeling and performance. At the moment, the issue I’m experiencing is that I’m having a hard time making the bike turn. There are a couple of corners where, exactly for this reason, I end up losing a lot of time.”

Michele Pirro: “We’re working on the bike set-up, which is completely different from the one we had at Phillip Island. The feeling is OK at the moment, but I’m having a hard time getting up to speed with the soft tyre during the time attack. Generally speaking, I chose not to take too many risks, especially when the conditions were not ideal. The solutions we tried today didn’t work as we had hoped, so we’ll analyse the data to find a different direction ahead of qualifying and the Sprint.”

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More from a press release issued by IDEMITSU Honda LCR: