Having made his disappointment clear to Aprilia after scoring just 12 points in the last three MotoGP races, the last thing Aleix Espargaro needed was a series of further technical woes on day one of ‘the most important weekend so far’.
Cal Crutchlow made the most of slick tyres on a drying track to put the home RNF Yamaha team a surprise fastest on Friday afternoon at the Malaysian MotoGP.
Jack Miller arrives at this weekend’s Malaysian MotoGP sore from last Sunday’s big Phillip Island impact from Alex Marquez, which also officially ended his 2022 title hopes.
With a 14-point deficit to Francesco Bagnaia, Fabio Quartararo badly needs to beat the Ducati rider in this weekend’s penultimate round of the MotoGP season at Sepang.
With Sepang hosting the opening pre-season test of the year in February, this week’s Malaysian MotoGP offers the chance for riders and teams to gauge their progress since.
After the 2023 MotoGP calendar was announced, the full testing schedule for the season, which starts immediately after the Valencia 2022 finale on November 6, has been confirmed.
Circuit officials of the Sepang International Circuit are in no rush for Malaysia to return to the F1 calendar as the government focuses on rebuilding the economy following the coronavirus pandemic.
Marc Marquez might feel 'very far' from his 2019 MotoGP dominance, but he is ready to battle rising stars Fabio Quartararo and Francesco Bagnaia for the 2022 crown.