Marc Marquez headed a Ducati 1-2 in MotoGP‘s Practice session, while Jorge Martin elected to cut his afternoon short in Sepang.
As in Friday’s opening session, Marc Marquez topped Practice with a 1:57.000 benchmark, despite an early crash at Turn 12, leading his brother Alex Marquez at the head of the field. This Marquez domination is certain to benefit the Ducati rider, as both brothers made it clear that the championship is the priority. Ai Ogura slotted into third, breaking up the immediate chase behind the lead Ducatis.
KTM confirmed their strong form on Malaysian soil, with Pedro Acosta carrying the charge in fourth, while Enea Bastianini and Maverick Viñales secured seventh and eighth respectively. Brad Binder proved to be the lone KTM rider outside the direct Q2 spots following a solid morning in FP1, leaving the South African with work to do in Saturday’s Q1 session.
Jorge Martin withdraws from Practice
Marco Bezzecchi could only manage sixth. His teammate, meanwhile, anchored the bottom of the timing sheets. Following a scare at Turn 12, the championship contender returned to his garage and ultimately retired from the session after consulting with Dr. Angel Charte.
“In agreement with MotoGP Medical Director Dr Angel Charte, it has been decided that Jorge Martin will not complete the Practice session, allowing him extra time to recover ahead of the remainder of the weekend,” his team explained.
Though expected back on track for FP2 and forced to navigate Q1 on Saturday, the sight of the Madrid native visibly struggling to chain multiple laps together makes for a worrying picture both for his title tilt and for Aprilia. The team’s hopes at Sepang now fall heavily on Bezzecchi, who has yet to record a result higher than P4 at the Malaysian venue.
Friday’s Practice was further shaped by a succession of falls across Sepang’s aging asphalt. Bastianini hit the deck at Turns 2 and 3, while Johann Zarco suffered a late crash across Turns 7 and 8 during his final push for a Q2 spot. The Frenchman missed out and now heads to Q1, joined by Francesco Bagnaia, who endured a similar fate after sliding out at Turn 1. Diogo Moreira, Alex Rins, and Iker Lecuona rounded out the top 15.
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