MotoGP: Yamaha's Fabio Quartararo Tops Sepang Shakedown Test

Yamaha's Fabio Quartararo dominated the Sepang MotoGP shakedown test, setting the fastest lap at 1:57.794s. His performance gave Yamaha a strong start to pre-season testing. Their new satellite team, Pramac, also impressed, with Jack Miller securing second place. Honda’s latest test rider, Aleix Espargaro, matched Miller’s time of 1:58.103s, showing his immediate impact.

Trackhouse Racing rookie Ai Ogura delivered a strong debut on his Aprilia RS-GP25, finishing fourth, just a tenth behind Espargaro. Pol Espargaro was the fastest KTM rider, securing fifth. Ducati had only two riders present, with Gresini’s Fermin Aldeguer leading the way in sixth.

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Yamaha showed impressive consistency, placing all four of its full-time riders inside the top eight. Alex Rins and Miguel Oliveira, representing Yamaha and Pramac, finished seventh and eighth, confirming the potential of Yamaha’s 2025 package.

KTM test rider Dani Pedrosa finished ninth, half a second behind Oliveira. Despite his experience, he was nearly nine-tenths behind his KTM teammate, Pol Espargaro, suggesting the RC16 still needs development.

Ducati’s sole GP25 rider, Michele Pirro, struggled for pace, finishing 10th and two seconds off Quartararo’s benchmark. This result suggests Ducati needs to refine its 2025 prototype before the official season begins.

Aprilia test rider Lorenzo Savadori finished 11th, 1.5 seconds behind Aprilia’s newest full-time rider. His lap times indicate that Aprilia’s current package requires further improvements ahead of pre-season testing.

Augusto Fernandez, who recently joined Yamaha’s development team, had a tough session. He finished second-to-last and failed to post a sub-two-minute lap time, contrasting with the strong performances of Yamaha’s full-time riders.

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LCR Honda’s Somkiat Chantra endured the most challenging session, finishing last and three seconds behind the leader. His struggles highlight the difficulties Honda faces in improving its MotoGP competitiveness.