Reigning world champion Marc Marquez returned to MotoGP in style by leading day one of Official 2026 testing at Sepang in Malaysia.
But while one world champion was back on top after last year's shoulder injuries, another - Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo - was ruled out for the remainder of the test by a broken finger.
2024 champion Jorge Martin was already watching from the sidelines as he continues to recover from follow-up surgery for last year’s wrist and collarbone injuries.
Last year’s race winner Fermin Aldeguer is also missing after fracturing his femur in a training accident last month.
Marc Marquez finished day one 0.256s clear of fellow GP26 rider Fabio di Giannantonio (VR46), with Maverick Vinales in third for KTM.
Alex Marquez was fourth overall on his factory-spec Gresini Ducati, followed by Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi and Honda’s Luca Marini.
Testing takes place from Tuesday to Thursday, between 10am and 6pm, plus practice start periods…
Into the final half an hour of Session 1 and it's still Joan Mir on top with the earlier 1m 56.874s, 0.109s ahead of Franco Morbidelli, whose VR46 Ducati team-mate Fabio di Giannantonio is third.
Pedro Acosta is now the leading KTM, just ahead of Maverick Vinales, with Marco Bezzecchi up to sixth for Aprilia.
Marc Marquez is 15th out of the 17 riders to set a lap time.
The five Yamaha riders are still in the pits.
While Yamaha works on solving yesterday's technical issue, there are rumours that the rest of their test could be in doubt. Fingers crossed the new V4s can get back on track this afternoon.
Yamaha has told Crash.net why none of its riders have been on track so far today:
'The team is still investigating the technical issue from yesterday. As a precaution, and until all checks are completed, the test is temporarily on hold. We expect to resume as soon as possible'.
The timing screens flashed up that Fabio Quartararo had a technical issue during day one, and he later confirmed: "We had an issue with electronics... it was this afternoon also. As far as I know, it was not the engine".
The technical issue is not thought to have been a factor in his early lowside crash at Turn 5, where he broke a finger, forcing him to miss days two and three.
Day one leader Marc Marquez is still a long way from yesterday's pace, he's 12th with a mid 1m 58s. Likewise Alex Marquez, 4th overall on day one, is only 15th and Aprilia's Marco Bezzecchi (5th yesterday) just 16th this morning.
11:15am: Manufacturer-wise, the order at the top is now Honda (Mir), Ducati (Morbidelli), Ducati (di Giannantonio), KTM (Acosta), KTM (Vinales), Ducati (Bagnaia), KTM (Bastianini), Honda (Marini), Aprilia (Raul Fernandez).
The five Yamahas listed to take part today are yet to leave the garages. No word from Yamaha yet as to whether it's a scheduled late start, or if there is some kind of technical issue to solve with the V4s.
Approaching the end of the opening hour and we have the first 1m 56s lap of the year. It's by HRC's Joan Mir, who is comfortably under with a 1m 56.874s.
Joan Mir, 2026 Sepang MotoGP Test (Gold&Goose).
Meanwhile, none of the Yamaha riders have left the pits so far today. Coincidence? Unlikely. Are they just saving tyres, or might there be an issue to solve?
Toprak Razgatlioglu and Jack Miller, Day 1, 2026 Sepang MotoGP Test (Gold&Goose).
Marc Marquez continues to have a quiet start to the day, he's been pushed down to 16th and is almost two-seconds slower than his day one time. He might be using the unfancied medium tyres, old softs, or just taking it easy on his shoulder after the exertion of day one.
10:45am and Maverick Vinales, 3rd on day one, goes one better to splits the Ducatis of Fabio di Giannantonio and Francesco Bagnaia at the top. That'll make 'coach' Jorge Lorenzo happy.
While the top six of di Giannantonio, Bagnaia, Raul Fernandez, Morbidelli, Zarco and Mir pit, Marc Marquez heads out for his second run of the day.
Fabio di Giannantonio breaks his best Tuesday time with a 1m 57.049s, just a fraction slower than Marc Marquez's day one best. Will we see a 1m 56s this morning?
All of the remaining Yamaha riders - after Quartararo's injuries - are yet to appear on track this morning: Andrea Dovizioso, Toprak Razgatlioglu, Alex Rins and Jack Miller.
The only other rider still without a time this morning is Ducati test rider Michele Pirro.
Fabio di Giannantonio almost equals his best day one time, showing the track is in good condition this morning, as he put his VR46 GP26 just 0.027s ahead of Bagnaia.
Marc Marquez has returned to the pits and remains 13th.
Meanwhile, team-mate Francesco Bagnaia sets the first 1m 57s lap of the day to pull 0.561s clear of Zarco.
Marc Marquez, who expected to struggle more on day two due to his physical condition, is currently 13th.
Day 1 leader Marc Marquez joins the action. 15 riders have now set a Wednesday lap time.
Johann Zarco posts a 1m 58.346s to move 0.186s clear of Joan Mir and form a Honda one-two at the top.
Meanwhile, this is why Fabio Quartararo won't be seen again for the rest of the test: A broken finger from a fast Turn 5 lowside early on day one.
Aprilia's Marco Bezzecchi and Honda's Joan Mir move above di Giannantonio. Mir sets a mid 1m 58s.
More riders head out on track, although Marc Marquez is not yet among them.
The first and last hour of each day are usually when the fastest lap times are set, due to the cooler conditions. The middle of the day is dedicated to race pace work.
A reminder of the main lap times to look out for, as di Giannantonio goes to the top with a 1m 58.743s...
Fastest Day 1 Time:
Marc Marquez, Ducati, 1m 57.018s.
Fastest 2025 Sepang Shakedown Time:
Aleix Espargaro, Honda, 1m 57.173s (Day 3).
Official Sepang MotoGP Records:
Best lap: Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Lenovo, 1m 56.337s (2024)
Fastest race lap: Alex Marquez, Gresini Ducati, 1m 58.873s (2023)
Straight out on track are the likes of Francesco Bagnaia, Fabio di Giannantonio, Marco Bezzecchi, Pedro Acosta, Maverick Vinales and Brad Binder.
Good morning and welcome to Crash.net's live updates for the Official Sepang Test, where the green lights have just gone on for the start of day two.