Marc Márquez set the fastest lap of Friday’s MotoGP practice session at Sepang International Circuit on October 30, as the Malaysian Grand Prix weekend began. It is the 19th round of the 2026 MotoGP season, and the top ten riders in the session go directly into Q2, while the rest of the grid must fight through Q1 for the last two spots.

Márquez leads a tight top six

Marc Márquez clocked 1:57.000 aboard his Ducati, narrowly edging his brother Alex Márquez by 0.109 seconds. Ai Ogura on the Aprilia was a close third, just 0.167 seconds shy of the leader, signaling a tight competition at the front.

Pedro Acosta, Fabio Di Giannantonio, and Marco Bezzecchi rounded out the top six, all within half a second of Márquez’s benchmark time.

The top ten riders advancing directly to Q2 at Sepang are: Marc Márquez (Ducati), Alex Márquez (Gresini Ducati), Ai Ogura (April), Pedro Acosta (KTM), Fabio Di Giannantonio (VR46 Ducati), Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia), Enea Bastianini (Tech3 KTM), Maverick Viñales (Tech3 KTM), Franco Morbidelli (VR46 Ducati), and Joan Mir (Honda).

Márquez led with a 170.553 km/h average speed, followed closely by Alex Márquez (170.395 km/h) and Ogura (170.310 km/h). The top ten were all separated by less than seven-tenths of a second, highlighting the competitive depth of the field.

Martín and other contenders head to Q1

Jorge Martín, currently riding an Aprilia, struggled during the session, managing only three laps and posting a time of 1:59.670, over 2.6 seconds off the pace. He will have to battle through Q1 for the final two Q2 positions.

Johann Zarco, Pecco Bagnaia, Diogo Moreira, Alex Rins, Iker Lecuona, Jack Miller, Luca Marini, Brad Binder, Fabio Quartararo, and Augusto Fernández will also have to go through Q1.

Consistency and what comes next

Friday’s practice also showed the consistency of Marco Bezzecchi and Fabio Di Giannantonio, who have repeatedly qualified directly to Q2 across the season’s rounds, including Sepang. Márquez maintains his streak of direct Q2 qualifications since Thailand and through multiple circuits.

Qualifying takes place on Saturday, and riders outside the top ten must use Q1 to seize one of the last two spots in Q2. The riders will then vie for pole position and grid placement ahead of Sunday’s main race.

Márquez’s pace sets the tone for the Malaysian GP, while Martín’s early struggles mean a challenging fightback through qualifying.