Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Duo Face Demanding Start in Sepang

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP commenced the Grand Prix of Malaysia Friday at the Sepang International Circuit today. Álex Rins and Fabio Quartararo finished the hot and humid afternoon Practice in P14 and P19, putting both riders on tomorrow's Q1 entry list.

GRAND PRIX OF MALAYSIA

PRACTICE

Sepang (Malaysia), 30th October 2026

14th

Á. Rins
1'58.161 / 17 LAPS

19th

F. Quartararo
1'58.604 / 19 LAPS

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP's Álex Rins and Fabio Quartararo got in their first laps around the Sepang International Circuit in the sweltering Grand Prix of Malaysia Practice session. The teammates finished in 14th and 19th place respectively in the Practice rankings and will take part in tomorrow's Q1.

Rins finished a dry and productive FP1 in 11th place. He was keen to make the most of the, again, dry conditions in the afternoon and got to work. During the final time attack the Spaniard gave an extra push to post a 1'58.161s on lap 16/17. It put him in P14 at the end of the Practice, 1.161s from the top.

Quartararo had set the 15th fastest time in FP1, clocking a 2'00.420s. The Frenchman used the afternoon Practice to make further steps. He improved to a best time of 1'58.604s, set on lap 19/19, but it was not enough to make progress in the rankings. He ended the session in 19th place, 1.604s from first.

The Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team will be back in action tomorrow for the Saturday MotoGP sessions: FP2 will be held from 10:10-10:40 (GMT+8), followed by the qualifying sessions from 10:50-11:30, and the 10-lap Sprint, which starts at 15:00.

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ÁLEX RINS
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Rider

"Luckily we escaped the rain today, which is really good for us, because I enjoy dry conditions more than the wet. But the tarmac of this track is a bit on the limit, it's a bit damaged, for example in the first and last corner, so it's easy to lose the front tyre. Otherwise, it was a normal day."

FABIO QUARTARARO
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Rider

"I don't think the track is completely worse than it was last year, but it's true that the tarmac is much more damaged than when we were here in January. It's unusual for me to struggle at this track, but I didn't feel great on the bike today: I couldn't really push like I wanted."