P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Friday practice results from the Malaysian MotoGP at Sepang, round 18 of 20 in the 2023 world championship.
MotoGP rookie Jorge Martin set the best lap record and the fastest race lap record at Sepang in 2022. In the first practice session of the 2023 Malaysian Grand Prix, Martin led the pack, while title leader Francesco Bagnaia finished 15th by using old tires. Aleix Espargaro’s Aprilia caught fire after a fall, causing him to quickly move away from the bike. Alvaro Bautista, the WorldSBK champion, finished 22nd in his first MotoGP weekend since 2018. There is a 13-point gap between Bagnaia and Martin in the title fight, with momentum favoring Martin after his recent double victories in Thailand. However, Martin received a warning for low tire pressure and will face a 3-second time penalty if he commits another violation. The big news of the weekend is the wild-card entry of Alvaro Bautista, who is riding a Ducati GP23. Another WorldSBK rider, Alex Rins, was replaced by Iker Lecuona due to injury. Sepang hosted the first pre-season test earlier this year, where several riders were closely matched in lap times. The weather forecast predicts an increasing risk of rain throughout the weekend.
Forrás: Crash
