Marquez brothers show most impressive long-run pace at Sepang

MotoGP 2025

Sepang Test – Focus on Ducati

While Yamaha made a significant step at Sepang this week, and Honda made some progress, there is simply no doubt that Ducati is still very much the top dog in MotoGP.

While Fabio Di Giannantonio had an early exit after breaking his collarbone on the opening day of the test, the other four regular Ducati riders filled four out of the top five places. Rookie Fermin Aldeguer finished 11th outright.

When it came to longer-run pace the difference is even more clear. Alex Marquez did ten laps in a row between 1m57.368 and 1m58.376 on the GP24. Five laps in succession were in the 57s.

Alex’s fastest lap, which put him at the top of the standings outright, came earlier in the day with a 1m56.493.

That lap may have been only seven-thousandths quicker than Pecco Bagnaia, who had a much busier testing schedule, but Alex’s long-run pace was also not only quicker than Pecco, but also eclipsed his brother Marc.

Marc’s long run pace was better than Pecco’s, but at the end of the day it was still his younger brother with the bragging rights of not only the fastest lap, but also the best long-run pace.

Franco Morbidelli was actually slightly quicker than Marc over one lap, but the Italian’s long run pace was way off what we had seen from Alex, Pecco and Marc. However, his long run was a few laps longer than that aforementioned trio, and if he was on the harder option tyre Franco’s run would have been seriously impressive. I guess we will find the answer to that when the season gets underway.

Fermin Aldeguer put in a more than decent long run and looks to already have found the pace to be a regular top ten contender in what will be his first year in MotoGP.

Ducati collected a mountain of data and worked through a massive schedule of component testing with the primary focus on examining the latest GP25 engine specification. Once the 2025 engine specification is finalised, Ducati will be required to use it not only for this season but also throughout 2026, due to an engine freeze ahead of the transition to 850 cc engines in 2027.

Feedback indicated that riders favoured the smoother power delivery of the latest engine but that the engine braking characteristics were not quite as friendly as the GP24.

RelatedPosts

O’Halloran to replace Rea at Portimao after Fernandez gets MotoGP call-up

March 21, 2025

Ducati Panigale V4 Tricolore Italia limited-edition based on V4 S

March 20, 2025

Most of that engine braking functionality would normally be improved via electronic strategies, and Ducati engineers will be trawling through the data gathered to come up with a plan for the two-day test in Thailand next week to try and match the engine braking afforded by the GP24.

If they can’t make that leap forward in engine braking, and it is instead more of a mechanical issue that can’t be managed via the throttle butterflies and other strategies, then Ducati may indeed stick with the very well proven GP24 power unit. Already the benchmark in MotoGP, that would hardly be seen as backward step.

At the Sepang Test last year Pecco topped a Ducati 1-2-3-4 with a 1m56.682, in qualifying last year he lowered the all-time Sepang lap record to 1m56.337. The fastest time achieved during the three-day test this year was a 1m56.493 by Alex Marquez on the GP24 Ducati, seven-thousandths of a second ahead of Bagnaia, and just over two-tenths quicker than Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo.

Alex Marquez

“The bike is really good, and we are very satisfied with these three days of testing, especially this last day. It’s just a test, but we’ve fine-tuned everything, and we head to Thailand with great feelings. Today, we also tried a sprint race and were very fast, so it’s not just about the best lap time. That said, Sepang is a track that suits my riding style well, so now we simply move on to the next test to keep working. It’s a different circuit, but I like it.”

Francesco Bagnaia

“Three positive days, we had the opportunity and time to try everything we scheduled and to fix some aspects. I think Marc (Márquez) and I did a great job, we tried different things and we always gave very similar feedbacks. I’m happy that we will continue to do the job at Buriram in a few days because here in Malaysia there are particular tarmac conditions, with a lot of grip, while in Thailand it will be different. Our 2024 package was already very good, so the choices need to be careful. I would have liked to work more on the time attack, but the priority in these days was decide which direction to take for the future”.

Franco Morbidelli

“We got the aim of these three days of testing, which was getting to know each other and understand some more things of the bike that I couldn’t explore last year. Actually, I felt better than 2024 and I could improve my lap time compared to last year’s qualifying. My feeling is really good even if is just the third day with this new team. There are positive things about having the 2024 package, one of them is for sure having the focus on yourself and what you need to do without trying too many things in terms in development. The potential of this bike is very high, I know I can win some races”.

Marc Márquez

“I would say that the balance is positive, we did all the job scheduled. During the three days we tested and re-tested the 2025 package. We saw interesting things, we have to analyse all the data from the two bikes and understand what could be the best direction to follow for the test at Buriram. Pecco and I basically are agreed on 90 per cent of the technical stuff, we had the same feeling on the engine and aerodynamics. We start from a very good base, the GP24 has won many races last season, it is not easy to make another step forward, we need to take care of every detail”.

Fermin Aldeguer

“Six days on this circuit, and I feel mentally drained. We wanted to take another step forward today, but we didn’t quite manage it. We shaved off another two-tenths, but the others pushed harder, and I ended up 11th. Anyway, my feeling on the bike is better than my lap times, and every night I’ve gone to sleep convinced I could improve—tonight will be no different. We’ve worked well, but there’s still a lot for me to discover, starting with the electronics. In Thailand, we’ll keep working and aim to be in good shape for the first race of the season.”

Davide Tardozzi – Ducati Lenovo Team Manager

“We are really satisfied because we managed to complete a very demanding work schelude. In the first two days we did a lot of test with both the 2024 and 2025 material and today the direction was much clearer. Currently we think that the bike will probably be a little be more conservative because we know that the base we have is already good. The goal in Buriram will be to continue testing other parts and gather more information to arrive at the first race prepared. The most positive thing is that both riders gave us similar feedbacks and this definitely makes the path for the engineers easier. Both are happy, they worked naturally together and they know perfectly the direction they want to follow in this pre-season”.

Pablo Nieto – Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team Manager

“We must be happy for Franco, but we are also a bit sorry for Fabio. Franco got along very well with the team, we worked really well. It’s true that he already knows the bike, but that was our first time together on track since Barcelona tests. I think we are on the right way, and this is very positive. Unfortunately, Diggia injured himself in the first day of testing. We know that his surgery takes 15 or 20 days to recover, but it’s a pity to miss winter tests. In Day 1 he was very fast, he will recover and we hope to be ready as soon as possible for the first race”.

Fabio Di Giannantonio is in Italy about to undergo surgery on his left collarbone after a wheelie gong wrong on Wednesday. An embarrassing and hugely costly mistake for the 26-year-old who, is one of only three riders with the holy grail of motorcycles at his disposal this season, a GP25 Ducati.

The MotoGP paddock is now packed up and on its way north to Bangkok for a two-day test next week, ahead of the season opener at Chang International Circuit on the weekend of March 2.

Sepang Test Times
Day Three

Sepan Test Combined Times
Day 1-2-3