Quartararo fastest again in Sepang, Marquez crashes
Fabio Quartararo led the second day of pre-season MotoGP testing in Malaysia, while reigning world champion Marc Marquez crashed late in the session.


Petronas SRT rider Quartararo was fastest on Friday aboard the 2019-spec Yamaha, but finally took delivery of the new 2020 M1 and spent most of the day on that.
Quartararo was once again first out on circuit, though it was Suzuki’s Joan Mir who led the timesheets after the first hour with a 1m58.731s lap ahead of KTM’s Pol Espargaro.
Pramac’s Jack Miller took over from Mir as the session entered its third hour, with the Ducati rider’s 1m58.641s effort remaining the benchmark until the final hour.
Miller spent the day evaluating Ducati’s GP20, and also had a revised aerodynamic package to test on Saturday.
The session was paused briefly in the afternoon when Andrea Dovizioso crashed his Ducati, with the Italian unscathed in the off and returning to action soon after.
Another high-profile crash followed in the final hour, as Marquez went down at the fast Turn 3 right-hander, having managed 47 laps on Saturday before his fall.
Soon after, Quartararo shot to the top of the times with a 1m58.572s, which went unchallenged as the chequered flag fell.
Miller held onto second, 0.069s adrift, while KTM test rider Dani Pedrosa posted his fastest-ever lap of the Sepang circuit with a 1m58.662s to complete the top three.
Mir led the second Petronas Yamaha of Franco Morbidelli, with Maverick Vinales sixth on the 2020-spec works team M1.
Alex Rins headed Pol Espargaro on the second Suzuki, with Marquez ninth despite his crash and Valentino Rossi rounding out the top 10 on the second factory Yamaha.
Aleix Espargaro was just 0.652s off the pace in 11th on his Aprilia, with LCR Honda’s Cal Crutchlow and Ducati’s Danilo Petrucci shadowing.
Dovizioso ended up 15th following his accident, while Alex Marquez was top rookie runner in 17th on the factory Honda – some 1.089s off the pace.
Avintia rider Johann Zarco found 1.3s on Saturday on the Ducati GP19 with a 1m59.825s, but he was still 1.6s from top spot down in 19th.
Testing times (Day 2):
Pos. | No. | Rider | Bike | Time | Delay | Laps |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 20 | Yamaha | 1'58.572 | 72 | ||
2 | 43 | Ducati | 1'58.641 | 0.069 | 51 | |
3 | 26 | KTM | 1'58.662 | 0.090 | 54 | |
4 | 36 | Suzuki | 1'58.731 | 0.159 | 54 | |
5 | 21 | Yamaha | 1'58.831 | 0.259 | 59 | |
6 | 12 | Yamaha | 1'58.893 | 0.321 | 69 | |
7 | 42 | Suzuki | 1'58.978 | 0.406 | 63 | |
8 | 44 | KTM | 1'58.989 | 0.417 | 49 | |
9 | 93 | Honda | 1'59.097 | 0.525 | 47 | |
10 | 46 | Yamaha | 1'59.116 | 0.544 | 60 | |
11 | 41 | Aprilia | 1'59.224 | 0.652 | 43 | |
12 | 35 | Honda | 1'59.247 | 0.675 | 64 | |
13 | 9 | Ducati | 1'59.257 | 0.685 | 59 | |
14 | 63 | Ducati | 1'59.313 | 0.741 | 59 | |
15 | 4 | Ducati | 1'59.342 | 0.770 | 55 | |
16 | 88 | KTM | 1'59.365 | 0.793 | 42 | |
17 | 73 | Honda | 1'59.661 | 1.089 | 66 | |
18 | 33 | KTM | 1'59.780 | 1.208 | 59 | |
19 | 5 | Ducati | 1'59.825 | 1.253 | 51 | |
20 | 53 | Ducati | 2'00.189 | 1.617 | 77 | |
21 | 50 | Suzuki | 2'00.286 | 1.714 | 58 | |
22 | 30 | Honda | 2'00.347 | 1.775 | 47 | |
23 | 27 | KTM | 2'00.396 | 1.824 | 41 | |
24 | 92 | Yamaha test bike | Yamaha | 2'00.791 | 2.219 | 35 |
25 | 90 | Yamaha test bike | Yamaha | 2'00.920 | 2.348 | 44 |
26 | 38 | Aprilia | 2'01.119 | 2.547 | 61 |

Zarco thought he'd be faster on Ducati debut
Lorenzo to ride on final day of Sepang test

Latest news
Why Ducati holds all the power in its MotoGP rider dilemma
OPINION: The French Grand Prix looks to have made Ducati’s decision on its factory team line-up simpler, as Enea Bastianini stormed to his third win of the campaign and Jorge Martin crashed out for a fifth time in 2022. But, as Ducati suggests to Motorsport.com, it remains in the strongest position in a wild rider market
The seismic aftershock of Suzuki's decision to leave MotoGP
Suzuki's sudden decision to leave the MotoGP World Championship at the end of the season has acted as a stirring element in a market that had already erupted. We analyse what this means for the grid going into 2023
How the real Ducati began to emerge in MotoGP's Spanish GP
Ducati’s 2022 MotoGP bike has had a tough start to life and the expected early-season title charge from Francesco Bagnaia did not materialise. But the Spanish Grand Prix signalled a turning point for both the GP22 and Bagnaia, as the 2021 runner-up belatedly got his season underway after a straight fight with Fabio Quartararo
How praise for Honda's MotoGP bike has given way to doubt
In a little over two months, Honda has gone from setting the pace in MotoGP testing with its new RC213V prototype to being at a crossroads - caused by the discrepancy in its riders' feedback. After a Portuguese GP that underwhelmed, serious questions are now being asked of Honda in 2022
Why Quartararo's win was vital not only for his title hopes
Fabio Quartararo got his MotoGP title defence off the ground in the Portuguese Grand Prix as a dominant first win of 2022 rocketed him to the top of the standings. While a significant result in terms of his title hopes, it has come at an even more important time in terms of his 2023 contract negotiations
The MotoGP rookie fighting two fronts in his debut year
Darryn Binder has found himself in the unenviable position as MotoGP's most under-pressure rookie in 2022 having made the step directly from Moto3 with a reputation as an over-aggressive rider. This hasn't been an easy thing to shake at the start of the season, but he believes tangible progress is being made
How ‘Beast’ mode is putting Ducati in 2022 MotoGP title contention
Enea Bastianini’s second win of the 2022 campaign at COTA puts him back in the lead of the standings and once again showed the best Ducati package is still the 2021 bike. Those closest to Bastianini tell Motorsport.com why he’s so good on the GP21 relative to his factory counterparts.
How Espargaro helped Aprilia shed MotoGP's underdog tag
Aleix Espargaro became MotoGP's newest winner in a thrilling Argentina Grand Prix in which he also proved the merits of the Aprilia project. After six years of hard graft, both parties have reaped the rewards they have long thought they deserved. But it was several key moments in that journey that led both to that momentous Sunday at Termas de Rio Hondo.