We are just days away from the 2026 MotoGP Sepang Test, the first major signal that a new season of thrilling motorsport action is rapidly approaching.
With all 22 races set to be broadcast live on SPOTV NOW, anticipation is already building ahead of the first meaningful on-track action of the year. Make sure to follow us on social media (SEA, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand) for live on-ground updates from the Sepang International Circuit.
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The Sepang Test is often treated as an early reference point for the season to come, yet history shows it is rarely a reliable predictor of championship success.
Some eventual world champions dominate proceedings in Malaysia, others barely register, while a few quietly lay the foundations without drawing much attention at all.
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With the benefit of hindsight, here’s a look back at recent editions of the Sepang Test to see how well eventual MotoGP world champions did before going on to lift the title at the end of each season.
2025 world champion: Marc Marquez
Sepang Test Final Day: 5th
The 2025 Sepang Test will be remembered less for lap times and more for misfortune. Headlines were dominated by Jorge Martin, whose racing mishaps effectively derailed his title defence before the season had properly begun.
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On outright pace, Alex Marquez topped the timesheets with a 1:56.493, narrowly edging Francesco Bagnaia (+0.007) and Fabio Quartararo (+0.231). The numbers, however, told only part of the story.
Marc finished 0.549s off his brother’s benchmark but quietly logged 70 laps on the final day, the joint-most completed in a single session alongside Somkiat Chantra. Rather than chasing headline lap times, the Spaniard focused on getting familiar with his new Ducati bike and doing race simulations, an approach that ultimately paid dividends over the course of the season.
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2024 world champion: Jorge Martin
Sepang Test Final Day: 2nd
In 2024, Bagnaia obliterated the Sepang lap record with a stunning 1:56.682, instantly establishing himself as the man to beat. However, he was not alone in the elite bracket, as Martin (+0.172s), Enea Bastianini (+0.233s) and Alex Marquez (+0.256s) all dipped into the same performance window, an early indication that the Italian’s hopes of extending his dominance would face serious resistance.
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2023 world champion: Francesco Bagnaia
Sepang Test Final Day: 2nd
Weather disruption defined the 2023 Test. Persistent rain repeatedly interrupted running, forcing teams and riders to maximise opportunities whenever conditions briefly improved.
Luca Marini emerged fastest overall with a 1:57.889, but the more telling detail lay just behind him. Bagnaia was the only other rider to dip into the 1:57, trailing by just 0.080s, a subtle yet significant indicator of underlying race pace as he went on to secure back-to-back championships.
2022 world champion: Francesco Bagnaia
Sepang Test Final Day: 6th
The two-day Sepang Test produced unlikely pacesetters. Bastianini (1:58.131) and Aleix Espargaro (+0.026) topped the timesheets, underlining Ducati’s satellite strength and Aprilia’s continued upward trajectory.
Bagnaia (+0.134s), by contrast, looked anonymous despite entering the season as the previous year’s runner-up and among the title favourites. The Ducati rider also started the 2022 campaign slow and did not feature on the podium in the first five races, hardly indicating he would end up as the champion later that year.
2021 world champion: Fabio Quartararo
Sepang Test Final Day: N/A
The Sepang Test did not take place in 2021 due to tightening COVID-19 restrictions in Malaysia, depriving teams of a crucial early-season benchmark.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, February’s #SepangTest and Shakedown Test have been cancelled 🇲🇾
Full details here ⬇️#MotoGP | 📰https://t.co/MRIaK6ohIl
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) January 12, 2021
2020 world champion: Joan Mir
Sepang Test Final Day: 10th
Before the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the calendar, the 2020 Sepang Test promised a fiercely competitive season. Every full-time MotoGP rider lapped under the 2:00 barrier, highlighting how tight the field had become.
Quartararo was the fastest on the final day with a 1:58.349, reinforcing his reputation as Yamaha’s emerging star. In contrast, eventual world champion Joan Mir (+0.387s) flew largely under the radar, producing an unremarkable test, while Suzuki Ecstar team-mate Alex Rins (+0.101s) appeared the more convincing title contender at the time.
