News Summary
- Marc Márquez led Friday’s Malaysian MotoGP Practice with a 1:57.000 lap, finishing 0.109 seconds ahead of brother Álex Márquez despite crashing at Turn 15.
- Jorge Martín stopped after just three laps because of pain in his fractured right wrist, leaving the Aprilia rider outside the direct Q2 positions and facing another fitness assessment on Saturday.
- Ai Ogura finished third, while Francesco Bagnaia, Johann Zarco and Diogo Moreira missed direct Q2 qualification. Joan Mir secured tenth place on his return to Honda.
Marc Márquez dominated Friday’s (October 30) MotoGP running at the Malaysian Grand Prix, topping the decisive afternoon Practice session at Sepang with a lap of 1:57.000 despite suffering a crash. The Ducati rider finished 0.109 seconds ahead of his brother Álex Márquez, while Ai Ogura completed the top three. His closest championship rival, Jorge Martín, stopped after just three laps because of pain in his recently fractured right wrist.
Márquez had already been fastest in the opening free practice session and secured direct passage into Saturday’s Q2. Martín, meanwhile, was unable to complete his afternoon programme and finished 21st among the riders who participated. Aprilia plans to reassess his condition before Saturday’s activity, meaning the Spaniard has not yet been ruled out of the remainder of the Malaysian Grand Prix.
Márquez recovers from crash to dominate Sepang Practice
The afternoon session began in hot conditions as riders pursued one of the ten places available directly in Q2.
Fabio Di Giannantonio set the early pace for VR46 Ducati with a 1:57.982, moving ahead of Álex Márquez and Johann Zarco while much of the field concentrated on longer runs.
Marc Márquez initially struggled to put together a clean lap. The championship leader lost the front of his Ducati at Turn 15 and slid through the gravel, but escaped injury and returned to the pits.
The crash interrupted his programme, leaving him outside the leading positions as the final part of Practice approached.
After returning to the circuit, Márquez rapidly improved his pace. With approximately 15 minutes remaining, he produced a 1:57.000, moving almost four tenths clear of the field at that stage.
Álex Márquez responded with a 1:57.109, reducing the gap to 0.109 seconds, while Ogura subsequently improved to 1:57.167.
Neither could dislodge the championship leader.
The result completed a strong Friday for Márquez, who had also led FP1 with a 1:58.912, ahead of Marco Bezzecchi and Pedro Acosta.
Martín stops after three laps as fractured wrist causes problems
Martín’s afternoon was considerably more difficult.
The Aprilia rider entered the weekend after receiving permission to participate in Friday’s opening practice, subject to further medical assessment.
He fractured the distal radius of his right forearm in the Australian sprint at Phillip Island only six days earlier.
Although he managed 12 flying laps during Friday morning’s FP1, Martín struggled with his injured wrist when he returned to the circuit for the afternoon session.
The Spaniard had a significant moment at a fast left-hand corner, managing to avoid a fall before returning to the Aprilia garage.
After completing just three laps, he ended his participation in Practice.
Team manager Paolo Bonora confirmed that the decision was related to pain from the injury and that the team did not want to risk aggravating his condition.
Martín’s fastest afternoon lap was 1:59.670, leaving him 2.670 seconds behind Márquez.
Because he did not secure a top-ten Practice position, the Spaniard will have to take part in Q1 if he is fit enough to continue on Saturday.
Aprilia intends to reassess him before FP2. The team has not announced his definitive withdrawal from the Malaysian round.
As GRANDE PRÊMIO reported earlier this week, Aprilia confirmed Martín’s journey to Sepang despite the fracture, with his participation dependent on how the injury responds to treatment and riding.
Ogura shines as KTM places three riders directly into Q2
While the Márquez brothers occupied the first two positions, Ogura delivered one of the session’s strongest late performances.
The Trackhouse Aprilia rider had finished 19th in FP1 but improved dramatically during the afternoon, securing third with a 1:57.167.
Acosta finished fourth for KTM, ahead of Di Giannantonio in fifth.
Bezzecchi took sixth for Aprilia, followed by the Tech3 KTM pairing of Enea Bastianini and Maverick Viñales.
The result put three KTM riders directly into Q2, an encouraging outcome for the Austrian manufacturer.
Franco Morbidelli secured ninth for VR46 Ducati, while Joan Mir claimed the final direct Q2 position on his return to competition.
Mir had missed four rounds because of health problems before Honda confirmed his comeback for Malaysia.
Bagnaia, Zarco and Moreira will face Q1
The fight for the final Q2 positions also produced late incidents.
Zarco crashed at Turns 7 and 8, bringing out yellow flags and preventing further improvement. He finished 11th, only 0.187 seconds outside the top ten.
Bagnaia also fell, losing the front of his Ducati at Turn 1. The Italian finished 12th, just 0.002 seconds behind Zarco.
Brazilian rookie Diogo Moreira ended Practice 13th after a front-end moment at Turn 15 prevented him from completing a faster lap.
All three must compete in Q1 on Saturday, when only the two fastest riders will progress to Q2.
Raúl Fernández, meanwhile, was absent from the afternoon classification after withdrawing from the Malaysian weekend because of pain related to a fractured finger.
Malaysian MotoGP 2026 — Complete Friday Practice results
| Pos. | Rider | Team | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | M. MÁRQUEZ | Ducati | 1:57.000 | — |
| 2 | A. MÁRQUEZ | Gresini Ducati | 1:57.109 | +0.109 |
| 3 | A. OGURA | Trackhouse Aprilia | 1:57.167 | +0.167 |
| 4 | P. ACOSTA | KTM | 1:57.380 | +0.380 |
| 5 | F. DI GIANNANTONIO | VR46 Ducati | 1:57.442 | +0.442 |
| 6 | M. BEZZECCHI | Aprilia | 1:57.475 | +0.475 |
| 7 | E. BASTIANINI | Tech3 KTM | 1:57.545 | +0.545 |
| 8 | M. VIÑALES | Tech3 KTM | 1:57.547 | +0.547 |
| 9 | F. MORBIDELLI | VR46 Ducati | 1:57.582 | +0.582 |
| 10 | J. MIR | Honda | 1:57.618 | +0.618 |
| 11 | J. ZARCO | LCR Honda | 1:57.805 | +0.805 |
| 12 | F. BAGNAIA | Ducati | 1:57.807 | +0.807 |
| 13 | D. MOREIRA | LCR Honda | 1:57.913 | +0.913 |
| 14 | A. RINS | Yamaha | 1:58.161 | +1.161 |
| 15 | I. LECUONA | Gresini Ducati | 1:58.192 | +1.192 |
| 16 | J. MILLER | Pramac Yamaha | 1:58.208 | +1.208 |
| 17 | L. MARINI | Honda | 1:58.462 | +1.462 |
| 18 | B. BINDER | KTM | 1:58.499 | +1.499 |
| 19 | F. QUARTARARO | Yamaha | 1:58.604 | +1.604 |
| 20 | A. FERNÁNDEZ | Pramac Yamaha | 1:59.376 | +2.376 |
| 21 | J. MARTÍN | Aprilia | 1:59.670 | +2.670 |
The top ten advance directly to Q2. Raúl Fernández withdrew from the weekend before afternoon Practice and therefore does not appear in this classification.
Márquez strengthens position as MotoGP title fight enters critical weekend
Márquez arrived in Malaysia with 365 championship points, ten ahead of Martín on 355.
The advantage emerged at Phillip Island, where the Ducati rider won the sprint after Martín crashed and suffered his injury.
Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix was subsequently cancelled because poor visibility prevented the medical helicopter from operating safely.
That left the two contenders separated by ten points heading into Sepang.
The MotoGP championship calculations before Malaysia show how the standings could change across the sprint and main race.
Friday’s running did not award championship points, but the contrast between the two riders’ preparations is significant.
Márquez will enter qualifying directly in Q2, while Martín must first establish whether his wrist will allow him to continue and, if cleared, attempt to qualify through Q1.
With a maximum of 37 points available across the Malaysian sprint and Grand Prix, the weekend could substantially alter the championship gap.
What time is Malaysian MotoGP qualifying and the sprint?
MotoGP returns to the track on Saturday, October 31, with FP2 beginning at 10:10am Malaysian Time.
Q1 follows at 10:50am, with Q2 starting at 11:15am.
The ten-lap sprint is scheduled for 3:00pm MYT, equivalent to 7:00am GMT in the United Kingdom and 12:30pm IST in India.
Malaysian GP — Remaining key sessions
| Session | Malaysia (MYT) | UK (GMT) | Brasília (BRT) |
|---|---|---|---|
| FP2 — Saturday | 10:10am | 2:10am | Friday, 11:10pm |
| Q1 — Saturday | 10:50am | 2:50am | Friday, 11:50pm |
| Q2 — Saturday | 11:15am | 3:15am | Saturday, 12:15am |
| Sprint — Saturday | 3:00pm | 7:00am | 4:00am |
| Grand Prix — Sunday | 3:00pm | 7:00am | 4:00am |
The full Malaysian MotoGP schedule, including Moto2 and Moto3 contains the complete weekend timetable.
GRANDE PRÊMIO is following every session of the Malaysian MotoGP Grand Prix this weekend, with breaking news, full coverage and real-time updates in its MotoGP section.
FAQ
Who was fastest in Friday’s Malaysian MotoGP Practice?
Marc Márquez led with a 1:57.000, ahead of Álex Márquez by 0.109 seconds and Ai Ogura by 0.167 seconds.
Has Jorge Martín withdrawn from the Malaysian MotoGP Grand Prix?
Martín stopped early during Friday afternoon’s Practice because of wrist pain. Aprilia plans to reassess his fitness on Saturday, so he has not yet been definitively ruled out of the remainder of the event.
Which riders qualified directly for Q2 at Sepang?
Marc Márquez, Álex Márquez, Ai Ogura, Pedro Acosta, Fabio Di Giannantonio, Marco Bezzecchi, Enea Bastianini, Maverick Viñales, Franco Morbidelli and Joan Mir.
