Qualifying results and grid line-up for the Saturday Sprint and main Sunday race at the Malaysian MotoGP at Sepang, round 18 of 20 in the 2023 world championship.
Fabio di Giannantonio and Enea Bastianini lead Qualifying 1 and now join the ten fastest riders from Friday afternoon in Qualifying 2.
Franco Morbidelli, second in final practice, spent much of the session trying to shake off a following Marc Marquez, who followed the Yamaha rider out of the pits on both runs.
Marquez eventually crashed out while trying to pass Augusto Fernandez on his last lap, but Morbidelli and Aleix Espargaro also missed out on Qualifying 2…
TIMES TO FOLLOW
2023 Malaysian MotoGP, Sepang – Qualifying (1) Results | |||
Pos | Rider | Nat | Team |
1 | Fabio Di Giannantonio | ITA | Gresini Ducati (GP22) |
2 | Enea Bastianini | ITA | Ducati Lenovo (GP23) |
3 | Aleix Espargaro | SPA | Aprilia Factory (RS-GP23) |
4 | Augusto Fernandez | SPA | Tech3 GASGAS (RC16)* |
5 | Franco Morbidelli | ITA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) |
6 | Joan Mir | SPA | Repsol Honda (RC213V) |
7 | Pol Espargaro | SPA | Tech3 GASGAS (RC16) |
8 | Raul Fernandez | SPA | RNF Aprilia (RS-GP22) |
9 | Miguel Oliveira | POR | RNF Aprilia (RS-GP22) |
10 | Marc Marquez | SPA | Repsol Honda (RC213V) |
11 | Takaaki Nakagami | JPN | LCR Honda (RC213V) |
12 | Alvaro Bautista | SPA | Aruba.It Ducati (GP23) |
13 | Iker Lecuona | SPA | LCR Honda (RC213V) |
*Rookie.
Official Sepang MotoGP recordsBest lap: Jorge Martin 1m 57.790s (2022)
Fastest race lap: Jorge Martin 1m 59.634s (2022)
Just 13 points separate reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia from title rival Jorge Martin heading into the final triple header of the MotoGP season, starting at Sepang this weekend.While Bagnaia holds a narrow points advantage, momentum is back with Martin after taking a perfect double of Sprint and GP victories last time out in Thailand.However, Martin was also among several riders to receive an official warning for low tyre pressure in the Buriram GP. Another infringement in the remaining rounds will result in the Pramac rider receiving a 3s post-race time penalty.With tyre pressure tricky to predict, varying massively depending on if a rider is leading or following, the best way Martin can now be sure of keeping future race victories is to win on track by a margin of at least 3s… The same applies to any other finishing position he achieves.Aside from the title fight, the big news this weekend is a wild-card entry for reigning World Superbike champion Alvaro Bautista. The Spaniard, making his first MotoGP start since 2018, is riding a factory spec Ducati GP23 in Aruba.It colours.Bautista is not the only WorldSBK rider on the grid with Alex Rins, who missed Thailand after undergoing further leg surgery, replaced by Iker Lecuona for both Sepang and next weekend’s Qatar round.Sepang was the venue for the opening pre-season test of the year, in February, when Luca Marini (fastest), Francesco Bagnaia, Maverick Vinales, Enea Bastianini and Jorge Martin were all covered by 0.315s at the top of the timesheets.
Weather forecasts warn of a risk of afternoon rain on Saturday and Sunday.
Keyword: 2023 Malaysian MotoGP, Sepang - Qualifying Results