MotoGP

MotoGP championship leader Francesco Bagnaia admits his decision not to run fresh tyres at the end of Malaysian Grand Prix FP1 “pisses me off” as it ...

Prior to the summer break, the 2022 MotoGP title looked like it was Fabio Quartararo’s to lose. OPINION: Honda is in the midst of a second winless season in the space of three years. OPINION: Marc Marquez has completed the first three races of his MotoGP comeback from a fourth major operation on his right arm and has already achieved more points than Honda scored in his absence.

The Repsol Honda rider has been sanctioned by the stewards after rejoining in an unsafe manner during FP1 at the Malaysian Grand Prix.

SEPANG (Oct 21): South Africa's Brad Binder clocked the fastest time in first practice for the Malaysian Grand Prix in Sepang today as MotoGP championship ...

Six-time world champion Marc Marquez was third ahead of Enea Bastianini. The Ducati rider holds a 14-point lead coming into this penultimate race of the season and could clinch his maiden championship crown if he wins in Sepang and France’s Quartararo finishes outside the podium. Bagnaia’s main championship rival and title-holder Fabio Quartararo slipped to seventh on his Yamaha despite leading most of the session on a clear morning at the Sepang circuit.

Free Practice (2) results from the Malaysian MotoGP at Sepang, round 18 of 20 in the 2022 world championship.

(-129) (-122) (-111) (-98) (-97) (-96) (-74) (-73) (-54) (-42) (-27) (-14)

SEPANG: South Africa's Brad Binder (pix) clocked the fastest time in the first two practice sessions for the Malaysian Grand Prix on Friday as rain th...

Otherwise the title fight goes to Valencia, Spain in a fortnight.-AFP Six-time world champion Marc Marquez was third ahead of Enea Bastianini. SEPANG: South Africa's Brad Binder (pix) clocked the fastest time in the first two practice sessions for the Malaysian Grand Prix on Friday as rain threatened to play havoc with Francesco Bagnaia's title charge.

MotoGP: "Tomorrow it may be the most important qualifying of the season, but I've been giving my best since Qatar and I will continue to push myself to the ...

I had to get some thoughts out of my head, we have some problems with the bike and I just have to have fun. In general, I'm happy, especially in the morning because I used the soft front tyre, it's not the best but we have to do it because we don't have enough mediums, and I went quite well. Especially when we compare it to what we had in tests, when the asphalt was in excellent condition after lapping for two days.

MotoGP: As is the often the case here in Malaysia, there was one session in the dry this morning and another with a wet track this afternoon.

A lot of sliding was felt in general with the rear slicks in these difficult conditions The appearance of the tyres following the session was very good considering they had done half of their laps on a drying/dry track. As a result it was difficult to really get a handle on the performance of the different slick options that were tested.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing's Brad Binder has taken Friday honours at the PETRONAS Grand Prix of Malaysia. On a day of mixed weather, it was Cal Crutchlow ...

Also with work to do is the third of the title contenders, Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing), who was classified 20th in FP1 after a crash on one bike and a technical problem for the other. It meant a top four for FP2 of Crutchlow, Bagnaia, Alex Marquez, and Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) on a 2:07.553, with Zarco first of those who finished on wets in fifth outright, and Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) ninth after he had an off at Turn 7/Turn 8. In that earlier session of the day, neither Quartararo nor Bagnaia fitted new Michelin tyres for their final runs, and they would be classified seventh and 11th respectively on a 2:00.543 and a 2:00.770. Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) jumped from 15th to first by setting a 2:08.644 with a medium Michelin slick on the front and a soft slick on the rear, before a fully medium-shod Crutchlow set a 2:08.436 just before the chequered flag came out. The Frenchman had set a fastest lap of 2:10.807 before Crutchlow, Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), and Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) all moved the marker. Morbidelli then reclaimed the ascendancy with a 2:09.390 but he was still on wets at a time when some had switched to slicks for the final five minutes of the session. On a weekend when Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) has his first Match Point, he is currently outside the Q2 places after missing the top 10 by just 0.003 seconds in FP1. Zarco briefly rebounded to second position with a 2:08.589 on wets but he would be shuffled back to fifth all-told. Alex Marquez got down further to a 2:06.896 but Crutchlow bettered that with a 2:05.710 and then they were split by Bagnaia’s 2:06.610 right at the end. After lap times started in the 2:15s and beyond, the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™ pilot got down to a 2:11.734 before Prima Pramac Racing’s Johann Zarco took over P1 for a sustained period of time. (@MotoGP) On a day of mixed weather, it was Cal Crutchlow (WithU Yamaha RND MotoGP™ Team) who set the quickest lap in a damp MotoGP™ FP2 session at the Sepang International Circuit after a late change to slick Michelin tyres.

Pramac's Jorge Martin topped a dramatic FP3 for the Malaysian Grand Prix as a late crash for MotoGP championship leader Francesco Bagnaia dropped him into ...

Prior to the summer break, the 2022 MotoGP title looked like it was Fabio Quartararo’s to lose. OPINION: Honda is in the midst of a second winless season in the space of three years. OPINION: Marc Marquez has completed the first three races of his MotoGP comeback from a fourth major operation on his right arm and has already achieved more points than Honda scored in his absence.

Free Practice (3) results from the Malaysian MotoGP at Sepang, round 19 of 20 in the 2022 world championship.

(-129) (-122) (-111) (-98) (-97) (-96) (-74) (-73) (-54) (-42) (-27) (-14)

Visiting the BS Battery booth in the Sepang circuit mall at the 2022 Petronas Grand Prix of Malaysia, paultan.org had the chance to ask Fabio Quartararo of ...

Visiting the BS Battery booth in the Sepang circuit mall at the 2022 Petronas Grand Prix of Malaysia, paultan.org had the chance to ask Fabio Quartararo of Monster Yamaha Racing for his thoughts ahead of race weekend. Traditionally the MotoGP World Championship crown has come down to the Sepang GP but this year might be a little different. “Losing the lead to Pecco is not easy for me, as you can imagine, but we try this weekend,” he added.

Pramac Ducati rider Jorge Martin set the pace in the third MotoGP practice session for the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang, as Pecco Bagnaia failed to secure ...

Ducati Ducati Lenovo Team LCR Honda IDEMITSU Tech3 KTM Factory Racing WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team LCR Honda Castrol Honda Repsol Honda Team Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Yamaha Team SUZUKI ECSTAR Aprilia Racing

Franco Morbidelli does his Yamaha teammate a big favour by pushing Bagnaia out of the Free Practice top 10.

Meanwhile, Cal Crutchlow (WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP™ Team) is off to the medical centre for a check on his wrist after a late spill. It also caused a scare for Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team), who nearly shunted Bagnaia as he looked for a tow to get himself back into the top 10, and both vented their displeasure as stewards announced an investigation into the incident. Teammate Jack Miller took up second and Quartararo soon moved into third, positions they held until before they were dislodged by Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) clocking a 1:59.229 on the half-hour mark. Bagnaia was on a hot lap when he went down through Turn 7/Turn 8 – rider okay, but a nervous wait for FB63 with a couple of minutes to go before the chequered flag came out. Amid all of that, Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) clocked a 1:58.583 around the Sepang International Circuit to top FP3, with Quartararo and fellow title contender Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) also through to Q2 already. Pecco was third-quickest when he had his spill but ended up being bumped out of the top 10 right at the end by none other than Franco Morbidelli, the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™ teammate of Bagnaia’s nearest rival, Fabio Quartararo.