Marc Marquez made an immediate impact on his return to MotoGP action by setting the fastest time on Day 1 of the Sepang pre-season test, underlining Ducati’s early strength ahead of the new campaign.
Riding the factory Ducati, the former world champion produced a late flying lap of 1m57.018s to secure first place, finishing more than two tenths of a second clear of his nearest rivals. It marked a confident return for Marquez following his injury setback late last year.
Fabio di Giannantonio briefly led the session for VR46 before being pushed to second, continuing Ducati’s strong presence at the front. Tech3 KTM rider Maverick Vinales completed the top three with a last-minute improvement, ending the day just 0.277s off Marquez’s pace.
Gresini’s Alex Marquez had earlier set the benchmark and led much of the session, eventually finishing fourth after several late time attacks reshuffled the order.
Yamaha experienced a mixed opening day. Fabio Quartararo suffered a high-speed crash at Turn 5 in the morning session and was taken to the medical centre for precautionary checks. The French rider returned in the afternoon and recovered to ninth place with a lap of 1m57.769s, giving Yamaha a presence inside the top 10.
Aprilia emerged as the third-fastest manufacturer, led by Marco Bezzecchi in fifth place. The Italian rider spent the day comparing different versions of the RS-GP, with particular attention on aerodynamic updates for 2026.
Honda also showed signs of improvement, with Luca Marini and Joan Mir finishing sixth and seventh. Their performances suggested progress as the Japanese manufacturer continues its rebuilding effort.
Reigning world champion Francesco Bagnaia ended the day in eighth while focusing on testing new aerodynamic parts and an all-carbon-fibre Ducati chassis rather than outright lap time.
KTM’s results were mixed beyond Vinales’ strong showing. Enea Bastianini finished 12th, Brad Binder 13th, and rookie Pedro Acosta 15th after a relatively quiet day.
Among the newcomers, LCR Honda rider Diogo Moreira edged Yamaha’s Toprak Razgatlioglu in the timesheets, although Moreira also crashed at Turn 5, the same corner where Quartararo fell earlier. Yamaha test rider Andrea Dovizioso encountered mechanical issues that limited his running.
With Marquez setting the early pace and Ducati leading the way, the opening day in Sepang offered a first glimpse of the competitive order for the new season. Teams will continue refining their packages as testing resumes tomorrow.
