MotoGP riders critical of Sepang track as surface breaking up in practice

Several MotoGP riders have criticised the Sepang track after the surface began breaking up during Friday’s practice sessions at the Malaysian Grand Prix.

The Sepang circuit was due to be resurfaced ahead of this year’s event, though that never happened.

It is thought the preparations to host a Formula 1 race in October impacted these plans, while the damage to the asphalt was not helped by the grand prix cars.

During Friday’s practice sessions in Malaysia, riders were reporting bits of asphalt being flicked up at them, while the bumps were likened to a motocross track.

“You need a chest protector…”

Pramac’s Jack Miller called the surface “fucked”, while his team-mate Augusto Fernandez, who has completed a lot of testing laps at Sepang with Yamaha in 2026, noticed a deterioration.

“As for the track conditions, I think they are worse than during the test,” Fernandez said.

“Grip seems to have decreased, and the tyres are dropping off significantly after just one or two laps.

“With such a long lap, if you push too hard early on, you can pay for it in the final sector.

“It feels like the lack of grip is affecting the whole circuit, so we‘ll have to keep working and see how conditions develop tomorrow.”

KTM’s Pedro Acosta added: “Every year it seems like the asphalt gets worse and worse.

“There aren't many bumps, but it's true that when you touch the asphalt, things get very difficult; in fact, pieces come off. The problem is that year after year it gets worse.”

Fabio Di Giannantonio remarked that riders need their chest protectors to stop shards of rock from hitting them and doing damage.

“It’s a motocross track now; we have to wear chest protectors,” the VR46 rider said.

“There are a lot of stones coming from the asphalt.

“I was hit by several of them when I did a practice start behind another rider.

“It's never good for us motorcyclists when the asphalt gets scraped, but it is what it is, and I don't know what we'll be able to do between today and tomorrow.

“It's the same situation for everyone.”

What happens if track gets worse?

This isn’t the first time this season a circuit has experienced asphalt break-up.

The return of the Brazilian Grand Prix at the revamped Goiania circuit suffered from break-up, which was so bad that MotoGP shortened the length of the main race just moments before lights out.

That will almost certainly be an option on the table if the surface continues to deteriorate.

The situation with the asphalt will also likely lead to a lot of chaos this weekend, particularly in qualifying.

There were five crashes in Practice on Friday, but three of those came within the final five minutes when riders were pushing on fresh soft rubber.