Alex Marquez threw down the gauntlet for the upcoming MotoGP campaign after setting the fastest time on the final day of the Sepang Test.
The Gresini rider, who won the Malaysian Grand Prix last year, clocked his best lap of 1:56.402 to go quicker than Marco Bezzecchi (+0.124s) and Fabio Di Giannantonio (+0.383s) on Thursday.
View this post on Instagram
Reigning world champion Marc Marquez (+0.387s) recovered from a minor crash to narrowly miss out on a top-three spot, while Ducati team-mate Francesco Bagnaia (+0.527s) was the fifth quickest.
Alex’s lap was particularly notable, as it was just a fraction shy of the all-time Sepang lap record of 1:56.337 set by Bagnaia in 2024.
View this post on Instagram
The performance should give the Spaniard plenty to smile about heading into the 2026 MotoGP season launch in Kuala Lumpur.
Besides Thursday’s top five, two additional riders managed to dip below the 1:57 barrier across the three days of testing on Malaysian soil.
2020 world champion Joan Mir topped the rain-affected Wednesday session with a 1:56.874, while VR46’s Franco Morbidelli followed closely with a 1:56.983.
All MotoGP riders will get two more days of testing at the Chang International Circuit on February 21-22 before the real action begins at the season-opening Thai Grand Prix the following week, live on SPOTV NOW.
View this post on Instagram
