Marco Bezzecchi
Francesco Bagnaia finished the last day of the 2026 Sepang test with the fifth-fastest lap time, but the Ducati star impressed amid the Sprint Race simulations on Thursday.
Teams turned their eye to simulating their Sprint Race pace on the third and final day of the test at the Sepang International Circuit. Most riders completed runs of 10 laps to mimic the conditions of the 20-lap Sprint Race, which Bagnaia won at the 2025 Malaysian Grand Prix.
Bagnaia won the Sepang Sprint from pole position in 2025 by 2.259 seconds ahead of Alex Marquez of Gresini. But it was the Gresini rider who registered the best average Sprint pace in Thursday’s test session, after averaging a 1:58.028 lap time ahead of Bagnaia’s 1:58.166.
Marc Marquez ranked just shy of his factory Ducati teammate, Bagnaia, with the third-best average Sprint Race pace on day three of the 2026 Sepang test at 1:58.289. The 32-year-old ranked fourth in the overall day three timesheets, which 29-year-old Alex Marquez led.
Alex Marquez tops the final day of the Sepang test! Are you expecting any changes to this order in Buriram? 🤔
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Luigi Dall’Igna told Mauro Grassilli that Ducati are ‘happy’ with Francesco Bagnaia at the Sepang test
The 2026 Sepang test has largely been positive for Bagnaia in his bid to bounce back from a fifth-place finish in the 2025 riders’ standings. The 29-year-old finished last year with a 257-point deficit to Marc Marquez, who missed the final four rounds due to a collarbone injury.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Francesco Bagnaia from net worth to race number
Ducati sporting director Mauro Grassilli says the Italian factory are “happy” with what they have so far seen from Bagnaia aboard the GP26 in Sepang. General manager Luigi Dall’Igna has also given Grassilli positive verdicts about Bagnaia’s feelings aboard Ducati’s latest bike.
“Yes, I spoke to Gigi,” Grassilli told Moto.it. “Pecco was very happy with how the day went on track. He immediately felt comfortable with the new Desmosedici GP26. We are happy from this point of view, too.
“It’s the first day, we still have several days. We have a race in Malaysia at Sepang, a friendly track. So, we have several factors in our favour. Now, we’re looking forward to Thailand and the next races.”
Francesco Bagnaia’s consistent lap times during his Sepang Sprint sim will encourage Ducati
Has Francesco Bagnaia found the key to fighting for the 2026 MotoGP title?
Bagnaia believes he has “confirmed” his improved braking on Ducati’s 2026 bike during the Sepang test, after a couple of positive days of running in Malaysia. The two-time champion struggled to extract the performance from his GP25 after struggling under braking in 2025.
The 2026 Sepang test has also given Ducati a chance to experiment with different front aero packages, having developed an aggressive enhancement for their concept this year. Bagnaia has also experimented with using a new variation of Ducati’s 2024 fairing on their 2026 bike.
Bagnaia’s consistent lap times during his Sprint Race simulation this Thursday will especially encourage himself and Ducati. The Italian recorded five laps between 1:57.7s and 1:57.9s in a row, whereas Marc Marquez only produced two laps within the 1:57s during his Sprint sim.
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