Marco Bezzecchi
Marc Marquez was fourth fastest overall on the third and final day of MotoGP’s Sepang test. Marquez finished just under four-tenths adrift of his brother Alex.
Before this week’s test, Marquez last rode a MotoGP bike at the Indonesian Grand Prix in early October. He suffered a season-ending injury in that race after a tangle with Marco Bezzecchi.
Marquez crashed for the first time this year during Thursday’s session, but it was a minor, slow-speed accident. It has largely been a smooth test for the 2025 world champion.
Alex Marquez tops the final day of the Sepang test! Are you expecting any changes to this order in Buriram? 🤔
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Ducati’s imperious start is particularly encouraging for the Spaniard. Five of the top six riders on Thursday were on Desmosedici motorcycles, with Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi the only rider within eight-tenths of the ultimate pace.
Alex Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia quicker than Marc Marquez in Sprint simulations
Thursday’s running also featured Sprint simulations. Marquez was the third-fastest in this specification, averaging a time of 1:58.289 over his 10-lap run.
The pace was once again set by Alex, who is riding a factory-spec GP26 at Gresini this year as a reward for his runner-up finish. He averaged a 1:58.027.
What jumps out from the race simulations? ⏱️
Marquez’s factory teammate Francesco Bagnaia split the brothers at 1:58.166, continuing his encouraging start. Bagnaia is aiming for a resurgence this year after an unrecognisable 2025 campaign.
Over a full Sprint, Marc would have finished 2.6 seconds behind Alex, and 1.2 seconds behind Bagnaia.
Marc Marquez says he’s ‘just as happy’ as he was one year ago at MotoGP testing
Alex Marquez was also fastest at this stage one year ago, with Marc only fifth on the final day at Sepang. A few weeks later, he dominated the field at the Thai GP.
That’s why the #93 is feeling relaxed about the situation. Worryingly for his rivals, he’s just as satisfied as he was last winter before he crushed the competition.
“There were 3-4 riders faster than me, but in Malaysia it’s not the first time we haven’t been the fastest,” said Marquez, via MARCA.
“I’m just as happy [as I was in 2025]. I was happy last year; I’m happy this year too.
“I say that because in Malaysia… yes, I’d like to be first, with the best pace, and… but we don’t get back here until October [for the Grand Prix].
“We’ll see. We’ll try to recover well now, and Thailand will be a slightly more decisive test, because you have a race there in five days.”
Marquez won 11 of the 18 Grands Prix he started last season, as well as 14 Sprints.
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