The first practice session of the day for Moto3™ saw damp patches of the newly-resurfaced Sepang International Circuit hamper early laptimes, before the moisture dried off and times began to fall. MotoGP™ had a dry FP1 – topped by Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) – before a downpour during Moto2™ saw track conditions worsen dramatically. With track changes and the new surface designed to deal with the inclement South East Asian weather, and Turn 15 especially changed and now off-camber, the grid could get a full taste of the new asphalt in wet and dry conditions on day 1.
With FP1 times out of reach after the rain, the times from the first session remained the combined timesheets for Friday, with Marquez heading the tables – despite missing FP2. As mentioned in the pre-event Press Conference by the new reigning Champion, Marquez has been suffering with illness ahead of the event and sat out FP2 with his place on the combined timesheets not under threat; focusing instead on recovering more fully for Saturday and qualifying. The 3-time MotoGP™ World Champion was over two tenths clear at the top.
Maverick Viñales (Team Suzuki Ecstar) was second fastest in FP1 and retains the place on combined times, with Scott Redding (Octo Pramac Yakhnich) impressing in P3 with a late leap up the tables in FP1.
Andrea Iannone (Ducati Team) put in a bombastic performance to take fourth as he returns from injury following a crash in FP1 in Misano, with compatriot 9-time World Champion Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) completing the top five.
Aleix Espargaro (Team Suzuki Ecstar) was P7, just behind compatriot Hector Barbera (Avintia Racing), who returns to Avintia this weekend following his substitutions for Iannone at the factory Ducati Team. Yonny Hernandez (Pull&Bear Aspar) had a stunning session to spend some time in the top three, before ending Friday in P8 overall.
Alvaro Bautista (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) was ninth fastest as the Spaniard again impressed for the Noale factory, with 2010, 2012 and 2015 MotoGP™ World Champion Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) completing the top ten after losing his final hot lap to a problem in sector two in FP1.
In the wet afternoon session, some riders got in some wet weather time as well as trying the Michelin intermediates, but it was Jack Miller (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS) who finally topped FP2 from Crutchlow when conditions were just able to take slicks – with Hector Barbera, Bradley Smith (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and Loris Baz (Avintia Racing) completing the top five.
With weather for FP3 not a certainty in the unsure climate of Sepang, the biggest names who could find themselves out of Q2 if laptimes don’t improve on Saturday morning are Australian GP winner Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) and Motegi podium sitter Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team). The third practice session will be the final decider for direct entry to Q2, with Marquez leading the way and hoping to be back to full power for qualifying day.
Morbidelli rules Malaysia
Franco Morbidelli (ITA)
Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider tops the timesheets as the curtains go up at Sepang
With Moto2™ only getting limited track time at the start of FP1 before the rain came down, it was Championship challenger Tom Luthi (Garage Plus Interwetten) who was quickest in that session, from Marcel Schrotter (AGR Team) and Alex Marquez (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS). The afternoon saw MotoGP™ FP2 finally end just dry enough for slicks, and conditions improved further to allow the intermediate class to begin dropping laptimes in their second session of the day.
It was Marquez first down below the 2:09 barrier, then knocked from the top spot by home hero Hafizh Syahrin (Petronas Raceline Malaysia) as the Malaysian put in a stunning lap to lead at home. It was then Marquez’ teammate Franco Morbidelli who took over and took times down into the 2:08s, with the Italian holding the advantage to the end of the session to go fastest on Friday.
Takaaki Nakagami (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) leapt up the timesheets in FP2 after not setting a representative lap in the morning, finishing the day in second overall – ahead of 2014 Moto3™ World Champion Marquez, who improved his time further. Jonas Folger (AGR Team) was fourth fastest after a more difficult FP1, with reigning Champion and Championship leader Johann Zarco (Ajo Motorsport) closing out the top five, staying clear of any issues after a crash at Turn 14 in the morning. A Red Flag briefly came out for track conditions at the penultimate corner in FP1, with Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) first to fall and then Zarco collecting his re-joining rival.
Sandro Cortese (Dynavolt Intact GP) had a solid second session fresh from his podium finish in Phillip Island in sixth, ahead of FP1’s fastest Tom Luthi (Garage Plus Interwetten), who improved his time but wasn’t quite able to retain the top spot.
Local hero Syahrin was eighth after the Malaysian had a crash with no consequence at Turn 15 towards the end of the session, with FP1 crasher Sam Lowes ending Friday in ninth as the last man within a second of Morbidelli’s best lap.
Xavi Vierge (Tech 3 Racing) completed the top ten in another impressive showing, with the big name missing from the top echelons of the timesheets proving to be Paginas Amarillas HP40 rider and Championship contender Alex Rins – who was down in P17 by the end of Day 1. More news saw Julian Simon (QMMF Racing Team) declared unfit for the remainder of the event with cracked vertebrae, after a crash in FP1.
Moto2™ get back on track for FP3 on Saturday morning, hoping for another dry session to set up for Sunday's title-crucial race.
Binder home free on Friday
Brad Binder (RSA)
Fastest in FP1 before a rainy FP2 sees laptimes impossible to improve
2016 Moto3™ World Champion Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) topped timesheets on Friday at the Malaysian GP, after going quickest in FP1 and the grid finding FP2 soaked through. With laptimes not dropping, times from the first practice session of the weekend remain the quickest combined and the South African headed day one – ahead of home hero Khairul Idham Pawi (Honda Team Asia). Pawi, who won in Argentina and Germany in the wet, and put in an impressive session in the mostly dry conditions of the morning before finishing third in FP2 - with trademark pace in the rain.
The morning session dawned with overnight showers having left some patches of damp on the track surface, with riders cautious and laptimes taking some time to start becoming representative as the riders checked both the conditions and the newly resurfaced circuit. With Pawi in second in that first session, Francesco Bagnaia (Pull&Bear Aspar Mahindra) was third fastest then and on combined timesheets – as well as topping the wet FP2 session from Estrella Galicia 0,0 rider Jorge Navarro. Navarro suffered a small crash in the afternoon, with no consequences.
Marcos Ramirez (Platinum Bay Real Estate) kept his impressive P4 position from FP1 as he heads into the weekend following a points-scoring finish for the first time, ahead of Livio Loi (RW Racing GP BV), who ended day 1 closing out the top five.
Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0) looked immediately at home at Sepang as he proved a consistent early pacesetter in first practice, and comes into the Malaysian GP high on confidence following his first podium. Compatriots Jorge Martin (Pull&Bear Aspar Mahindra) and Joan Mir (Leopard Racing) were seventh and eighth in the morning and on combined timesheets despite struggling more for pace following the afternoon downpour.
Despite his small crash in the wet, Jorge Navarro was P9 by the end of day 1, hoping to get a good qualifying result as he prepares to make gains on injured and absent Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing Moto3) in the fight for P2 in the Championship. The Italian is replaced for this weekend by 2015 Shell Advance Asia Talent Cup winner and 2016 Red Bull Rookies champion Ayumu Sasaki.
Fabio Quartararo (Leopard Racing) was another of those on top in the early stages of the first session of the day, and completed the top ten in his first weekend riding at the track after missing the 2015 weekend due to injury – also quick in the afternoon in ninth.
Brad Binder, although quickest in the dry by eight tenths, finished the wet session in P19 on the timesheets.
Moto3™ head the charge once again on Saturday morning at 9:00 local time (GMT +8), with Binder looking for another pole position.