P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Marc Marquez acknowledged a clear Sprint gap to younger brother Alex at the Sepang MotoGP test.
Reigning MotoGP champion Marc Marquez returned to Sepang after missing last year’s Malaysian Grand Prix due to injury for this week’s official test. Despite it being his first outing on a MotoGP bike in four months, he quickly topped the timesheets on day one of the test. Marquez finished fourth overall after the three-day test, with his younger brother Alex posting the fastest time.
During the test, most leading riders, including Marquez, completed a Sprint race simulation. Alex Marquez had the quickest time during the ten-lap simulation, followed by Francesco Bagnaia and then Marc, who finished 2.613 seconds behind Alex. Marc described his Sprint simulation as good but not extremely fast and expressed satisfaction with his performance.
Having tried the latest Ducati developments, Marquez hopes to understand more during the upcoming test in Thailand, particularly focusing on the aerodynamic side. He emphasized the importance of finding the right balance with the new aero package and remaining open-minded to trying new things despite the challenges it may bring.
Despite improvements in some areas with the latest GP26, Marquez noted the unreal grip at Sepang and the need to further understand it during races. With the engine design frozen since 2025, Marquez and other Ducati riders must soon decide on their start-of-season fairing homologation, which may require adapting to changes in bike balance.
