The sun shines on Sepang, and with it, the tension among the riders is palpable. After a somewhat timid morning of testing, the afternoon revealed stunning performances, with Marc Márquez taking the lead in the standings. With a time of 1’57″018, the Ducati rider left everyone in awe. Hold on tight, as this season promises to be as thrilling as a grand prix in the rain!
A Day Marked by Heat
After the first three hours of running this morning, followed by a window dedicated to start tests, the Sepang test slowly resumed its course. The scorching heat that prevailed on the circuit at midday did not really encourage the riders to jump into the fray. It was only from 3:30 PM that activity intensified, and there, we witnessed a true dance of engines.
Pecco Bagnaia, on his Ducati, quickly climbed the rankings to seize second place with a time of 1’57″720, just behind the morning time of Álex Márquez (Gresini). Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia) then made his mark, getting within just 37 thousandths of that reference.
But it was at the very end of the day that Álex Márquez saw his time swept away by Fabio Di Giannantonio (VR46), who managed to improve by two tenths, before the maestro Márquez took the best time with an impressive 1’57″018. This time, which would not be beaten later, marks an improvement of more than half a second compared to last year at the same time during the pre-season tests. At this pace, one wonders if the riders have found a magic potion!
Other riders also managed to make the most of their machines in the final moments, notably Maverick Viñales (Tech3) and Joan Mir (Honda), who shone during this last round of testing.
Many Aerodynamic Innovations
Throughout this day, it was impossible not to notice the multiple innovations brought by the manufacturers. Each team now has only four days of official testing left to validate their developments before the first Grand Prix scheduled for the end of the month. It’s crunch time!
Logically, everyone focused their efforts on aerodynamics, with engine development frozen for most, except for Yamaha and Honda, which are coming out of the last group of concessions. Aleix Espargaró praised the new engine of the RC213V during last week’s shakedown, despite some reliability issues.
Design evolutions were evident, both at Honda and Yamaha, where Andrea Dovizioso tested a radically different package. KTM caught attention with a new seat tail, while Aprilia reworked the entire seat and aerodynamic appendages located at the rider’s thighs.
” alt=”Marco Bezzecchi on his April Racing bike”>
Aprilia also introduced a new swingarm to improve stability. On Ducati’s side, the height adjuster received special attention, with promises to deliver the most advanced version this year. However, a slight hiccup was observed with Marc Márquez’s bike, which had to be parked at the side of the track in the afternoon, raising doubts about reliability.
Quartararo Back but in Pain
Fabio Quartararo returned to the circuit an hour and a half before the end of the day. The Frenchman, who had suffered a painful fall that very morning, is dealing with a bandage on his left arm and an injured finger on his right hand. Although he managed to complete about fifteen laps, the pain he felt might prompt him to lighten his schedule for the following days, or even miss the next day of testing, according to his team manager.
Diogo Moreira, also injured this morning, seems to have come out unscathed. He was able to get back on the asphalt this afternoon, albeit late. It should be noted that he could not participate in the start tests after his fall, which is starting to weigh on his learning, especially since he only has one bike, just like his teammate Johann Zarco.
The checkered flag was waved at 6 PM local time to close this first day. The weather remained dry, although showers are forecast for tomorrow. Testing will resume at 10 AM local time, which is 3 AM for the French. Attention, the suspense remains intact!
Standings at 6 PM: Who are the Kings of the Day?
Cumulative times for the day
