Marc Marquez Leads Sepang Friday Practice Despite Early Crash and Injury Concerns

Marc Marquez asserted his dominance early on Friday afternoon, leading the MotoGP World Championship practice session at the Petronas Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia. Riding his Lenovo Ducati Desmosedici GP26 on spec Michelin tires, the seven-time World Champion set a blistering lap time of 1:57.000 to head the 21-rider field.

His brother, Alex Marquez, riding for BK8 Gresini Racing on a Ducati Desmosedici GP26, secured second place with a best time of 1:57.109, completing a Ducati 1-2 at the top of the timesheets.

Ai Ogura impressed on his SuperFile Trackhouse Aprilia RS-GP26, taking third position with a lap of 1:57.167.

Pedro Acosta of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing followed closely in fourth with a time of 1:57.380 on his RC16, while Fabio Di Giannantonio rounded out the top five for the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team with a 1:57.442.

Sixth place went to Marco Bezzecchi on his Aprilia Racing RS-GP26 with a lap of 1:57.475. Meanwhile, his injured teammate Jorge Martin, battling a broken wrist, managed only a 1:59.670 to place 21st after deciding to end his session early.

Marc Marquez Top in Sepang Despite Crash; Martin Exits Early with Wrist Pain

An early crash was not enough to derail Championship leader Marc Marquez, as the #93 rider recovered from a final-corner error to lead the MotoGP timesheets on Friday afternoon. Marquez successfully fended off a strong challenge from his brother Alex, while Ai Ogura secured an impressive third place. In contrast, arch-rival Jorge Martin was forced to end his practice session early after completing just three laps, as he continues to manage pain from a broken wrist.

FIRST ENCOUNTERS: Martin pulls in, Marc Marquez crashes

Drama unfolded early in the session as the top two riders in the Championship faced immediate challenges. Jorge Martin’s day was cut short after just three laps, with the decision made for the #89 to sit out the remainder of Practice to manage his wrist injury. He is scheduled to return to the track tomorrow morning during FP2 to assess his fitness ahead of Sprint Saturday. If he competes for the rest of the weekend, the 2024 World Champion will be forced to start from Q1. Meanwhile, further down the track, Championship leader Marc Marquez suffered a scare at Turn 15, tucking the front and sliding through the gravel, though he was quickly back on his feet and able to continue.

BOUNCING BACK: the #93 asserts authority

As the session entered its second half, Fabio Di Giannantonio took the lead, closely followed by Alex Marquez and Johann Zarco of Castrol Honda LCR. With many of the fastest lap times set early in the session, riders focused on long runs during the first forty minutes. After his earlier fall, Marc Marquez returned to the track and provisionally held eighth place with just over fifteen minutes remaining. However, his stay at the top was brief, as the Championship leader unleashed a blistering lap of 1’57.000 to seize the top spot on the timesheets, finishing nearly four-tenths of a second ahead of the competition.

CHANGES APLENTY: Ogura into the top 3, Zarco and Bagnaia fall

The final ten minutes of the session saw a flurry of activity in the top ten, with Pedro Acosta, Marco Bezzecchi, and Enea Bastianini all pushing into the top five. Ai Ogura, Joan Mir of Honda HRC Castrol, and Francesco Bagnaia also found improvements as the riders pushed for crucial qualifying positions. With three minutes remaining on the clock, Ogura continued his impressive charge, moving up to third place. However, yellow flags were deployed at Turns 7 and 8 due to a late crash for Johann Zarco. Shortly after, double World Champion Francesco Bagnaia fell victim to Turn 1, tucking the front and sliding off. Both crashes confirmed that Zarco and Bagnaia would have to fight their way through Q1 tomorrow.

FRIDAY’S TOP 10: Q2 spots bagged

Nobody could get on terms with Marc Marquez, however, as the reigning World Champion secured a commanding Marquez 1-2, finishing ahead of his brother Alex in second. The duo looked strong not only on single-lap pace but also demonstrated highly competitive race pace. Ai Ogura’s late improvement secured him third place by the end of the session, ahead of Pedro Acosta and Fabio Di Giannantonio. Marco Bezzecchi put in a steady performance to claim sixth place and secure a direct Q2 spot. A strong showing from the Red Bull KTM Tech3 duo of Enea Bastianini and Maverick Viñales saw three KTMs qualify directly into Q2 for the first time since the Hungarian Grand Prix last year. Franco Morbidelli of the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team and a returning Joan Mir completed the top ten in tenth place.

MISSING THE CUT: Bagnaia headlines, Martin back on track in FP2

Johann Zarco’s late crash proved costly, missing the cut for Q2 by 0.187 seconds and finishing just 0.002 seconds ahead of Francesco Bagnaia in twelfth place. Diogo Moreira of Pro Honda LCR had a major front-end save at Turn 15, costing him any chance of improvement and placing him in Q1. The top Yamaha representative was Alex Rins of Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP, who finished just behind him in fourteenth. Jorge Martin’s early exit after three laps leaves him in Q1, but he will look to find his competitive form when he returns to the track in FP2.

Sprint Saturday commences from 09:00 local time (UTC +8); don’t miss a lap!

Source link