FORMER Moto2 and Moto3 world champion Alex Marquez is looking forward to a breakthrough in the MotoGP class this season after emerging as the quickest rider in the 2025 Malaysia MotoGP Test at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) today.
The 28-year-old Gresini Racing rider completed the three-day Winter Test in Sepang clocking one minute and 56.493 seconds (s), just 0.156s slower than Francesco Bagnaia’s lap record time of 1:56.337s set during last year’s Malaysian Grand Prix (GP) qualifying round.
Ducati Lenovo’s two-time world champion Bagnaia, nicknamed Pecco, was among four riders to dip below 1:57s, finishing second fastest with 1:56.500s.
Monster Energy Yamaha’s 2021 world champion Fabio Quartararo recorded the third-fastest time of 1:56.724s, while yesterday’s fastest rider, Franco Morbidelli of Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team completed the top four in 1:56.948s, setting the stage for an exciting title battle this season.
Speaking to reporters after the test, Spaniard Marquez said his Ducati GP24 machine had responded well and was one of the best heading into the final round of pre-season testing at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, Thailand.
“The bike responds well when you push it and ask for more... everything looks good, but this is Sepang, and I love this track. We need to stay calm and head to Thailand to see how we perform there,” he said.
Despite being promoted to the premier MotoGP class in 2020 with high expectations, the younger brother of six-time world champion Marc Marquez has yet to win a single race in five seasons and has only managed to step onto the podium five times.
“This (result) is important for me to have a solid season and to be in a good position in the championship battle. But it’s still too early to say anything. We are doing a great job, but we need to keep pushing.
“We still have many things to evaluate, like how other riders and machines perform when all the factories finalise the setups and components they’ve been testing. Once that happens, we will better understand where we stand before the season begins,” he added.
With the conclusion of the Sepang test, the riders will head to their final pre-season testing in Buriram from Feb 12-14, ahead of the season-opening Thai GP from Feb 28 to March 2.
The SIC will host the Malaysian GP from Oct 24-26.
