Francesco Bagnaia released a strong statement to the rest of the field as he set the pace and topped the first MotoGP Malaysia practice session.
After changing from the hard rear tyre to medium ones, Bagnaia smashed the best lap time to top the charts in the closing minutes before improving even further to set a run of 1:58.795s.
Aprilia’s Maverick Vinales and VR46 Ducati rider Marco Bezzecchi were the Italian’s closest challengers, with his fellow VR46 Academy graduate a whole second off the pace.
MotoGP arrived at the final Asian race of the 2024 season in Malaysia, with two races remaining despite the deadly floods in Valencia. Given the situation in Spain, no further update has yet been provided, which could have implications for the 2024 championship fight.
Aprilia’s second-place finish in practice displayed Vinales’s raw speed. Its biggest rival in the constructors, KTM, finished fourth and fifth, respectively. Jack Miller was the top rider, ahead of rookie Pedro Acosta.
Championship leader Jorge Martin finished a distant sixth and 1.6s off the pace of the factory Ducati rider.
Alex Marquez finished in seventh as the lead Gresini rider and once again looked good around the Sepang streets, ahead of Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo who previously led the timesheets earlier on in the session.
Italian rider and former MotoGP race winner Andrea Iannone returned to the series for a one-off appearance to replace VR46’s current rider, Fabio Di Giannantonio, who opted to end his season early for surgery.
Iannone returned to the fold with the GoEleven Ducati in the WorldSBK Championship earlier this year. His results and redemption presented him with another opportunity in the MotoGP’s premier class from team owner Valentino Rossi after he served a four-year doping ban.
Iannone capped off a fantastic display and ended the session in ninth place, ahead of GasGas rider Augusto Fernandez and the LCR Honda rider Takaaki Nakagami.
Six-time MotoGP champion Marc Marquez finished in a distant 12th place. Still, he placed his Gresini bike ahead of GP24 Ducati riders Franco Morbidelli and Enea Bastianini, with the Italian duo entirely off the pace of their respective championship-contending teammates.
Brad Binder finished in 15th as the final KTM rider, with the South African rider two seconds off the table topper Bagnaia.
Alex Rins recorded a 16th place finish, ahead of Johann Zarco, Lorenzo Savadori and the two Repsol Honda riders of Joan Mir and Luca Marini.
The final two riders in the classification were Raul Fernandez and Aleix Espargaro, rounding off the session’s proceedings.
