Marc Marquez reacts to Alex Marquez’s scintillating race simulation at MotoGP Sepang Test

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Alex Marquez topped the leaderboard on the final day of MotoGP’s Sepang Test. The Gresini rider set a 1:56.493 during the time-attack runs on Friday morning.

That was a mere seven-thousandths quicker than Francesco Bagnaia, riding the 2025-spec Ducati, could manage. The much-improved Yamaha were third with Fabio Quartararo, which prevented Ducati from sweeping the top five.

Franco Morbidelli looked strong once again in fourth place, with title hopeful Marc Marquez fifth. Around six-tenths of a second separated the two brothers over a single lap.

The headline times should be treated with caution. For instance, the older Marquez brother used a mix of 2024 and 2025 parts, and only burned through one set of tyres.

Other teams will take the time attack more seriously, which makes comparisons difficult. The long runs may be more indicative of performance.

And Marquez junior was magnificent on high fuel, averaging a 1:57.901 during a run in the afternoon. That made him a few hundredths quicker than Marc (1:57.930).

Alex Marquez beats Marc Marquez’s ‘super good’ race simulation in Sepang

As it stands, the 2024-spec Ducati may be slightly quicker than the 2025 version. Perhaps that’s partly to be expected – one bike has been fully developed, while the other must still be refined.

What’s more, Ducati won 19 out of 20 races last year. Gaining several tenths was never realistic, because they were already so close to perfection.

Speaking to MotoGP’s official website, Marquez called his Sprint simulation ‘super good’. It’s noteworthy, then, that his brother was still able to beat him.

“It’s true that, on the simulation, I felt super good,” he said. “On time attack, I used only one tyre because I couldn’t crash. If you crash at the beginning of the day, you penalise the whole day.

“I had two different bikes, so I preferred to use only one tyre. The lap time was already enough, so then I concentrated on the Sprint race simulation.

“It was a good one. Still, I think Alex beat me for two or three-tenths. But still, good to be in Malaysia and to have a good feeling here.”

Franco Morbidelli rates GP24 victory chances at start of MotoGP season

There are still two days of testing in Buriram before the season-opening Thailand Grand Prix. Naturally, it will be better to draw conclusions when the winter schedule is complete.

If the 2024 bike is quicker for the moment, one would expect Ducati to bolt on plenty of their old parts. They can then progressively move towards a full 2025 model during the European phase of the season.

Still, Alex Marquez will be dreaming of race wins at Gresini in the first four flyaways. He’s never stood on the top step in the premier class.

Fellow GP24 competitor Morbidelli says victories are ‘definitely’ possible. Fermin Aldeguer completes the trio, but as a rookie, he may need time before he can chase podiums.