Alex Marquez and the Ducatis fly on the last day of the Sepang test

The third and final day of MotoGP testing at Sepang and it was time to bring out all the guns blazing. No more hiding your cards and everyone put in all they had. So it was possible to see where each rider and brand is. 

In the early stages, when the temperature was not so high, many tried their hand at single laps, with new, soft tires. The result: the Ducatis continues to set the standard. 

Close to the record

Several of them were able to go below the times of last year’s tests on the Malaysian track. In fact, Alex Marquez was one and a half tenths away from the record set by Pecco Bagnaia in the Grand Prix in November, which is 1:56.337. The two-time champion from Cervera did 1:56.493. He left the Barcelona tests as the best. The Gresini rider beat Pecco himself by just 7 thousandths, as the Turin rider did push hard today with soft compounds. Marc continues to seek to improve in this aspect, which he himself considers one of his weak points, but he stayed at 1:57, half a second behind both of them. At the official Ducati, the collaboration of its two riders continues to be evident, talking to each other. The objective: to choose the engine for 2025. 

Yamaha and Honda’s progress

The timesheets also confirm the progress of the Japanese factories. Fabio Quartararo was at the top the previous days, but almost everyone attributed it to the fact that he had already ridden in the ‘shakedown’ (warm-up). However, today he has already gone below 1:57. A clear confirmation. And that is despite the fact that the Frenchman is still the most cautious in his brand and regrets that there is still a lack of grip at the rear, the eternal problem with the current Yamaha M1. Likewise, Honda is capable of getting some riders into the ‘top 10’. Zarco and Mir are looming there. 

Acosta and KTM finally move up

Pedro Acosta has finally been able to get some good laps in. In the previous days, he focused more on the set-up and achieving a balanced bike. The KTM is responding to him and he has already given several warnings. Others, like Bastianini, are having a harder time adapting. Aprilia is missing Jorge Martin, who will undergo surgery on his right-hand today in Barcelona – he will not have surgery on his foot. Raul Fernandez has already done the same and will try to ride in the test in Buriram next week. Lorenzo Savadori, the test rider, is riding in Martinator’s place. Fabio Di Giannantonio will also undergo surgery in Rome in the next few hours. 

As for crashes, there have only been two so far. Jack Miller went down, but without physical consequences, as did Luca Marini, who crashed at Turn 9. 

Sepang test classification (day 3) at mid-day