P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Qualifying results and grid line-up for the Saturday Sprint and main Sunday race at the Malaysian MotoGP at Sepang, round 18 of 20 in the 2023 world championship.
Fabio di Giannantonio and Enea Bastianini topped Qualifying 1 and advanced to Qualifying 2, joining the ten fastest riders from Friday afternoon. Franco Morbidelli, who finished second in the final practice, was followed closely by Marc Marquez throughout the session. Marquez crashed while attempting to pass Augusto Fernandez on his last lap, and Morbidelli, along with Aleix Espargaro, also missed out on Qualifying 2. In the ongoing MotoGP season, reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia holds a slim lead of 13 points over title rival Jorge Martin. Martin gained momentum after winning both the Sprint and GP races in Thailand, although he received an official warning for low tire pressure. To avoid penalties, Martin needs to secure future victories by a margin of at least 3s. Additionally, reigning World Superbike champion Alvaro Bautista will make a wildcard entry on a factory-spec Ducati GP23, and Alex Rins will be replaced by Iker Lecuona for the Sepang and Qatar rounds. The Sepang pre-season test earlier this year saw a close competition between Luca Marini, Francesco Bagnaia, Maverick Vinales, Enea Bastianini, and Jorge Martin. Weather forecasts indicate a potential risk of afternoon rain on Saturday and Sunday.
Forrás: Crash
