We had become accustomed to seeing the KTMs playing spoilsport during the qualifying sessions on the verge of a top 10 qualifying for Q.2. We had subscribed Pol Espargaró for this type of feat which he achieved on three occasions in the race with a ninth place in Brno and at Phillip Island, without forgetting the tenth position in Aragon. And then Bradley Smith had also awakened during this overseas campaign. But the enthusiasm made us lose sight of the fact that the KTM RC16 was only starting this season. And this first day in Malaysia reminded us of that.
A fifteenth place for Pol Espargaro and a seventeenth for Bradley Smith, the Austrian motorcycles found a rank more in line with their history in MotoGP, this Friday at Sepang. A start to the Grand Prix not so simple otherwise because with a relatively dry morning and a frankly rainy afternoon: “ it's not easy for us here » admitted the brother of one Aleix Espargaró package in an Aprilia factory within reach of KTM in the championship.
« When we came here to test, we were with a very different bike. So we need to collect data again. In the morning, we were able to ride in the dry but the afternoon offered conditions preventing us from making any progress. But our electronic engineers have a clear vision of what needs to be done. We have a good idea for development now ».
As for Smith we regretted a liability of 0.7 seconds on the teammate in the dry and 0.3 seconds in the wet: “ I didn't feel so bad in the morning. Sepang is a track that never offers much grip. In fact, the soft tire is significantly better than the medium. But we haven't made up our minds yet. ».
« In the afternoon, in the rain, we suffered but we were able to progress with the medium tire. We also evaluated the soft rubbers in the rain. Because showers are expected during qualifying. But overall, I'm pretty happy with my day ».
#MalaysianGP J.1: Chronos
| 1 | 4 | Andrea Dovizioso | Ducati | 2'00.671 | ||
| 2 | 19 | Alvaro BAUTISTA | Ducati | 2'00.742 | 0.071 / 0.071 | |
| 3 | 5 | johann zarco | Yamaha | 2'00.807 | 0.136 / 0.065 | |
| 4 | 25 | Maverick VIÑALES | Yamaha | 2'00.903 | 0.232 / 0.096 | |
| 5 | 93 | Marc Márquez | Honda | 2'00.950 | 0.279 / 0.047 | |
| 6 | 35 | Cal Crutchlow | Honda | 2'01.060 | 0.389 / 0.110 | |
| 7 | 17 | Karel ABRAHAM | Ducati | 2'01.077 | 0.406 / 0.017 | |
| 8 | 8 | Hector BARBERA | Ducati | 2'01.147 | 0.476 / 0.070 | |
| 9 | 26 | Dani PEDROSA | Honda | 2'01.162 | 0.491 / 0.015 | |
| 10 | 99 | Jorge Lorenzo | Ducati | 2'01.189 | 0.518 / 0.027 | |
| 11 | 9 | Danilo PETRUCCI | Ducati | 2'01.560 | 0.889 / 0.371 | |
| 12 | 46 | Valentino ROSSI | Yamaha | 2'01.662 | 0.991 / 0.102 | |
| 13 | 29 | Andrea Iannone | Suzuki | 2'01.740 | 1.069 / 0.078 | |
| 14 | 43 | Jack Miller | Honda | 2'01.803 | 1.132 / 0.063 | |
| 15 | 44 | Pol Espargaró | KTM | 2'01.831 | 1.160 / 0.028 | |
| 16 | 76 | Loris BAZ | Ducati | 2'02.416 | 1.745 / 0.585 | |
| 17 | 38 | Bradley SMITH | KTM | 2'02.469 | 1.798 / 0.053 | |
| 18 | 45 | Scott REDDING | Ducati | 2'03.056 | 2.385 / 0.587 | |
| 19 | 60 | Michael VAN DER MARK | Yamaha | 2'03.473 | 2.802 / 0.417 | |
| 20 | 53 | Tito RABAT | Honda | 2'03.531 | 2.860 / 0.058 | |
| 21 | 22 | Sam LOWES | Aprilia | 2'03.534 | 2.863 / 0.003 | |
| 22 | 42 | Alex Rins | Suzuki | 2'04.381 | 3.710 / 0.847 | |
