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Marc Marquez Tops Malaysian GP Practice: Who Is Through to Q2
Marc Marquez topped Friday Practice at Sepang. Title rival Jorge Martin and two-time MotoGP champion Francesco Bagnaia now face a tough Saturday in Q1.
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On this page · 6 sections
- P1Marc MarquezDucati Lenovo Team1:57.000
- P2Alex MarquezBK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP1:57.109
- P3Ai OguraSuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team1:57.167
Reigning premier-class world champion Marc Marquez set the fastest lap in Friday afternoon PracticeSessions before qualifying where riders set up the bike; the top ten in Friday afternoon's Practice go straight to Q2.Read the full guide → at Sepang. He rode for the Ducati Lenovo Team at the Petronas Sepang International Circuit. The 33-year-old posted a benchmark lap of 1m57.000s. That put him top, just ahead of his brother Alex Marquez and Trackhouse rider Ai Ogura.
Marquez secured an automatic transfer into Saturday’s Pole positionFirst place on the starting grid, earned by the fastest qualifying lap.Read the full guide → shootout. However, his main title rival Jorge Martin endured a painful afternoon. Several other top riders also missed the cut. Two-time MotoGP world champion Francesco Bagnaia was among them. They must now battle through preliminary QualifyingThe timed sessions that set the starting order, split into Q1 and Q2 for the front rows.Read the full guide →.
Why does Friday Practice matter so much?
For newcomers following a Grand Prix weekend, Friday afternoon is vital. It is far more important than a simple training run. To see why, you can review how MotoGP practice sessions work across a race weekend.
The 60-minute Friday afternoon Practice session works like an official timed trial. It does not decide starting grid spots for the races. It also awards zero world championship points. Even so, the times from this single hour matter. They split the 21-rider field into two groups for Saturday qualifying.
The ten fastest riders earn a direct pass into Qualifying 2 (Q2). The rest drop into Qualifying 1 (Q1). There, they must fight for the final two promotion spots. Missing the top ten makes starting near the front of the grid much harder.
Who secured direct entry into Q2?
Marc Marquez led the way with a time of 1m57.000s. Alex Marquez of BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP took second place. He set a 1m57.109s, just 0.109s behind his brother. Ai Ogura completed the top three on his SuperFile Trackhouse Aprilia. His lap of 1m57.167s left him 0.167s off the top.
Pedro Acosta finished fourth on a 1m57.380s (+0.380s). Pertamina Enduro VR46 rider Fabio Di Giannantonio took fifth with a 1m57.442s (+0.442s). Marco Bezzecchi finished sixth on a 1m57.475s (+0.475s). He remains mathematically in contention for the 2026 world championship.
Four more riders earned safe spots in Q2. Enea Bastianini took seventh with a 1m57.545s. Maverick Viñales was eighth on a 1m57.547s. Franco Morbidelli followed in ninth with a 1m57.582s. Factory Honda rider Joan Mir claimed the tenth and final transfer spot on a 1m57.618s (+0.618s).
Which major names are trapped in Q1?
Missing the top ten leaves several race winners in a tricky spot. The biggest name is Francesco Bagnaia. He could only manage 12th place. Bagnaia won premier-class titles in 2022 and 2023. He must now ride in Q1 on Saturday morning. He will join 2021 MotoGP champion Fabio Quartararo, who finished Friday down in 19th.
Title contender Jorge Martin had an even tougher day. Martin trails Marquez by 10 points in the title race. He came to Sepang with a fractured wrist from the Australian round. Medical staff cleared him to ride. Even so, Martin completed only three laps in the afternoon. He then returned to the Pit laneThe slow lane beside the track where teams work on the bikes and riders enter and exit.Read the full guide → and finished 21st, slowest of all the runners.
Here is how qualifying format rules (Q1 and Q2) work. In Saturday’s 15-minute Q1 session, all riders from 11th downwards race the clock. Only the top two advance to Q2. The other riders will start 13th or lower on the grid. That applies to both Saturday’s Sprint raceA short Saturday race over half the distance, awarding points to the top nine finishers.Read the full guide → and Sunday’s Grand Prix.
The riders heading into Q1 are:
- P11 Johann Zarco
- P12 Francesco Bagnaia
- P13 Diogo Moreira
- P14 Alex Rins
- P15 Iker Lecuona
- P16 Jack Miller
- P17 Luca Marini
- P18 Brad Binder
- P19 Fabio Quartararo
- P20 Augusto Fernandez
- P21 Jorge Martin
Trackhouse rider Raul Fernandez will play no further part in the weekend. He tried five laps in opening practice. After that, medical teams declared him unfit to continue because of pain.
What happens next at Sepang?
Saturday starts with a brief 30-minute Free Practice 2 session. This gives teams time to tweak bike setups without qualifying pressure. Right after that, Q1 and Q2 get underway. These sessions decide who takes pole position at the front of the grid.
Martin is nursing his injury, while Bagnaia must fight through Q1. That puts championship leader Marc Marquez in a great position ahead of the two weekend races.
Quick Takeaways
- Marc Marquez topped Friday Practice at Sepang with a fastest lap of 1m57.000s.
- The top ten riders earned automatic spots in Saturday’s Q2 session. They include Alex Marquez, Ai Ogura, and Pedro Acosta.
- Title contender Jorge Martin completed only three laps due to wrist pain and finished 21st.
- Francesco Bagnaia and Fabio Quartararo must fight through Q1, where only two promotion spots are open.
Quick questions
- Q.Did Marc Marquez win a race on Friday?
- No. Friday Practice is an official timed session, not a race. It awards no championship points. It also does not decide the starting grid. Its only job is to decide who goes straight to Saturday's Q2 qualifying session.
- Q.Why was Jorge Martin so far down the order?
- Martin has a wrist fracture from the previous round in Australia. Doctors cleared him to ride. However, he stopped after three laps in Friday afternoon Practice to manage the pain. That left him 21st on the timesheets.
- Q.Can Francesco Bagnaia still qualify on pole position?
- Yes, but he faces an extra hurdle. Bagnaia must finish in the top two during Saturday's Q1 session. If he does that, he moves into Q2. Then he can fight for pole position alongside the top ten riders from Friday Practice.
- Q.What is the difference between Q1 and Q2?
- Q1 is a 15-minute session for riders who missed the top ten in Friday Practice. The fastest two riders in Q1 move up into Q2. In Q2, the top 12 spots on the starting grid are decided.
