MotoGP teams got their first proper outing on their 2025 machines in Malaysia last week.
The official test came a week after the Shakedown session at the Sepang International Circuit. Honda and Yamaha were allowed to run their full-time riders in the session thanks to MotoGP’s concession system.
In official testing, Alex Marquez topped the times on the final day for Gresini, finishing just seven thousandths of a second ahead of factory Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia.
Marquez’s sprint simulation was six tenths quicker than Jorge Martin’s average pace in the Sprint in Sepang last year – although there are different track conditions and the fact Martin was racing his rivals to take into account.
Testing in Malaysia also saw numerous accidents happen on track. Defending champion Martin, Raul Fernandez and Fabio Di Giannantonio were all ruled out of the test after suffering injuries on day one.
There is little time to react for the teams as they head to Buriram this week for two more days of testing. But ‘many’ are having regrets about a key decision for the test.

Many MotoGP teams are ‘already regretting’ moving Buriram test closer to Malaysia test
Buriram marks the final opportunity for teams and riders to get to grips with their 2025 bikes before the season kicks off. The circuit holds the first race of the year – the Thailand Grand Prix – on February 28-March 2.
Typically, the two pre-season tests in MotoGP have a gap of at least two weeks. In 2025, the Buriram test comes just four days after the outing in Sepang.
Teams had a say in pushing Dorna to move the tests closer together. However, according to a report from Autosport, many teams are ‘already regretting’ that decision.
This is ‘primarily due to the lack of time to react after the first test’, especially after some teams have lost riders through injury.
Furthermore, due to the concession system, Ducati, Aprilia and KTM will have to decide on their engines for 2025 in three weeks for the first race in Thailand.
The significance of this choice is heightened by the fact the engine freeze will stay in place for 2026.

Paddock insiders feel ‘really strongly’ about Yamaha’s progress after Sepang test
In Sepang, Yamaha have made clear improvements on the track after finishing second-bottom in the constructors’ standings last year.
The manufacturer have made huge strides off the track to improve their fortunes – signing Pramac as their satellite team highlights their intentions to become a frontrunner again.
Yamaha were eight-tenths quicker than their best-ever time in Sepang in testing. Fabio Quartararo impressed over the three days on the YZR-M1.
The Frenchman is looking to mount a challenge at the front after a couple of difficult years in underperforming machinery. Davide Tardozzi sees Quartararo as Ducati’s ‘main opponent’ in 2025.
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