Marc Marquez returns, Quartararo—what a crash! Plenty of work at the Sepang test

MotoGP back in action, Sepang test in full swing: here’s how the morning session went.

After plenty of chatter about the rider market, the track is speaking again. The Sepang Test morning is in the books with Alex Marquez on top, a few crashes and issues, while Marc Marquez makes his return and seems to be in good shape. Lap times don’t mean much right now; it’s the first run-out for everyone who didn’t do the shakedown, meaning everyone except rookies, test riders, and the entire Yamaha group. Among the incidents, there was a fairly hefty crash for Quartararo, luckily resulting only in a graze on one arm and no fractures. Action resumes after the lunch break (for now, only Zarco and Dovizioso are on track) and continues until 11:00 CET, 18:00 local time: here are the key takeaways and the morning standings.

In the Ducati camp, with the reigning MotoGP champion back, the focus is on aerodynamics, but not yet the 2026 package, which will likely be tested in the coming days. Looking at Aprilia, Marco Bezzecchi will compare the RS-GP25 and RS-GP26. After a series of checks, further testing will proceed on various aerodynamic solutions for the 2026 bike. A new swingarm test is also scheduled for the afternoon. Lorenzo Savadori will continue development work on several components, with some solutions tailored specifically for him in terms of ergonomics. These are mainly adjustments to the overall setup, both on the electronics and the chassis side.

Also noteworthy is the presence of Jorge Martin trackside due to physical issues. At Yamaha, alongside the heavy workload on the V4, they’re also focusing on the chassis, aerodynamics, and swingarm. As mentioned, there was a big crash for Quartararo at Turn 5; he went to the Medical Center for checks before being declared fit. He wasn’t the only one: Miller also went down, in his case at Turn 9 with no consequences, while Dovizioso suffered some technical problems. A bit of everything for Honda too, with a morning spent working on chassis, engine, aerodynamics, and electronics. Noted as well was Moreira’s first tip-off as a MotoGP rider (he was circulating with his garage-mate Zarco), without consequences.