Le MotoGP left the cold and unpredictable winds of Phillip Island to return to the Sepang circuit, which is hosting the Malaysian Grand Prix for the 25th time, the final stop on the overseas tour. In the intense humidity of Southeast Asia, all eyes are on various centers of interest that will decide the final standings of the world championship established in Valencia in three good weeks.
With Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team), George Martin (Aprilia Racing) and Maverick Vinales (Red Bull KTM Tech3) all injured and replaced respectively, as in Australia, by Michele Pirro, Lorenzo Savadori et Pol Espargaro, the MotoGP field is more difficult than ever to predict.
The world title is already sealed, and everything points to a Marquez double, Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) who can lock in second place in the Sprint if he plays his cards right.
His record at Sepang is promising, and without going back to Methuselah, his two 4th places last year behind some of the absentees this weekend suggest that number 73 has a good chance of returning to Europe completely calm.
At the moment, his lead capital stands at 97 points, while there are still a maximum of 111 to collect...
Much closer is the fight for the third step of the podium, in which Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) took an 8-point lead over Francis Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) in Australia.
Given the positive trend that is carrying the Aprilia rider, will we see a rebound from the Turin rider whose last two weekends have been among the most complicated of his MotoGP career?
Winner here in 2022 and 2024, third in 2023, and crowned Moto2 champion on this same circuit in 2018, " Pecco » hopes to find sensations on a track that perfectly suits his style of hard braking.
He has a 41-point lead over Peter Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), but he is now used to the podium, having scored a Sprint on the podium and finished P5 on Sunday in Australia, even if the talented Spaniard is still pursuing his quest for his first MotoGP victory.
Behind, at 17 points, Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) returns to the battle for the top 5 after his podium at Phillip Island. Absent from Sepang in 2024 and injured during testing this year, the #49 hopes to create better memories on the Malaysian circuit.
Separated by 25 points, franc Morbidely (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) And Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) had an equally frustrating Australian round for both, while fabio quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) continues on the same somewhat sluggish trend, despite its exploits over one lap!
Thanks to his southern victory, Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse MotoGP Team), in full progression, enters the Top 10 and dislodges Johann zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR), who is currently experiencing roughly the same frustrating ordeal as a certain Francesco...
Add to that the fact that the Sepang track is both difficult and tough on the tires, and that the crushing heat is always a test for the drivers, and you can easily understand that it will be very clever of anyone to find the trifectas in order this weekend!
So much for a quick overview of the situation, while, as in Australia, Marc Marquez, George Martin (Aprilia Racing) and
Maverick Vinales (Red Bull KTM Tech3) are respectively replaced on the entry list by
Michele Pirro, Lorenzo Savadori and Pol Espargaro.
Conversely, Augusto Fernandez will run the Yamaha V4, as a wild card.
Download the official program here
To write this 20th chapter of the 2025 MotoGP season, it will be necessary to cover the track 10 times. 5543 meters in Saturday's Sprint and complete 20 laps on Sunday.
For Michelin, Sepang and its conditions remain demanding, as explained Piero Taramasso, Michelin Motorsport Two-Wheel Manager:
« Sepang is a circuit we know very well, as we conduct numerous tests there every year, both official and private. It's a demanding, very complete track, combining fast corners, intense braking, and two long straights. The tires are constantly stressed, both front and rear, and the high temperatures make thermal management essential.
Grip is generally good, both in the dry and wet, but asphalt is abrasive and wear can be significant over time. We have therefore updated our equipment for 2025: at the front, we are keeping the tires that worked very well last year, while adding a new Hard specification with a reinforced casing that offers more stability under hard braking and support for the most powerful bikes.
At the rear, we return to two standard casings, with a new Medium with stiffer compounds that performs very well in high temperatures. The objective remains the same: to guarantee consistent performance over the distance, total versatility between dry and wet conditions, and to allow our partners to exploit the full potential of their machines, whatever the track configuration. »
For engineers of Brembo also, the Sepang circuit is not taken lightly either, since on a difficulty scale of 1 to 6, he gets a note of 5, proof of the severity of its braking, thus making it one of the most demanding in this area.
According to engineers
Brembo, who work closely with all the drivers in the championship, the Sepang International Circuit (5,543 km) is part of the routes
the most demanding for the braking system.
The brakes are used there during nearly 36,5 seconds per lap, due to the presence of 11 braking zonesThe most critical turn is
the last one before the finish line : MotoGP goes from 319 km/h to 63 km/h in just 5,6 seconds, over a distance of 262 metersThe pilot then exercises a
6,7 kg pressure on the brake lever, with a 1,5 g deceleration.
The brake fluid pressure reaches here 14,4 bar, the absolute championship record, confirming the formidable intensity of braking at Sepang.
The records are set in 1'56.337 by Francesco Bagnaia since 2024, and curiously 339,6 km/h for the speed per Andrea Iannone since 2015 !
At the last edition in 2024, Francesco Bagnaia won the GP in front of Jorge Martin et Enea Bastianini, while the Sprint podium was made up of Jorge Martin, Marc Marquez et Enea Bastianini.
For the 20th round of a 22-round season, we shouldn't be cold, even if a few showers are expected...
This morning, in FP1, the arrival of heavy rain also confirmed the start of the session which saw Fermin Aldeguer take advantage of
Francis Bagnaia after 12 minutes, after
Peter Acosta suffered a "slip" and entrusted command to Pol Espargaro.
Alex Marquez et Jack Miller also made mistakes, without any serious consequences, while the times had not yet fallen below the 2 minute mark.
- 4'15.376 Pedro ACOSTA 2'01.998
- 6'16.239 Pedro ACOSTA 2'00.863
- 6'17.824 Pol ESPARGARO 2'00.581
- 10'18.559 Francesco BAGNAIA 2'00.455
- 12'45.615 Fermin ALDEGUER 2'00.199
While waiting to discover more, as the 23 drivers prepare, under a still somewhat milky sky, with temperatures of 30° in the air and 38° on the ground, for this 60-minute pre-qualifying practice, let's take advantage of these few moments of live coverage thanks to the official website MotoGP.com :
|
MotoGP™ Malaysia, Sepang |
2024 |
2025 |
| FP1 | 1'58.795 Francesco Bagnaia (See here) | 2'00.199 Fermin Aldeguer (See here) |
| Practice | 1'57.679 Francesco Bagnaia (See here) | 1'57.559 Pedro Acosta (See here) |
| FP2 | 1'58.658 Francesco Bagnaia (See here) | (See here) |
| Q1 | 1'57.635 Johann Zarco (See here) | (See here) |
| Q2 | 1'56.337 Francesco Bagnaia (See here) | (See here) |
| Sprint | Martin, Marc Marquez, Bastianini (See here) | (See here) |
| Warm Up | 1'59.073 Marc Marquez (See here) | (See here) |
| Course | Bagnaia, Martin, Bastianini (See here) | (See here) |
| All time lap record | 1'56.337 Francesco Bagnaia 2024 (See here) |
MotoGP Malaysia Practice MotoGP Malaysia Sepang Practice MotoGP Malaysia Sepang Practice MotoGP Malaysia Sepang Practice MotoGP Malaysia Sepang Practice MotoGP Malaysia Sepang Practice
