2025 Malaysian MotoGP: Fermin Aldeguer tops rain-affected Sepang FP1

FP1 at the 2025 Malaysian MotoGP was topped by rookie Fermin Aldeguer, the Spaniard over 0.2 seconds clear of the field in a rain-affected opening practice.

Lap times were a way off the fastest of all time, which now sit in the 1:56s. Aldeguer's benchmark this morning was a 2:00.199, perhaps indicating a lack of performance from the medium-compound rear tyre this weekend.

Nobody ventured out on the soft-compound rear tyre, although whether that was in the plan we will never know, since heavy rain suddenly arrived 13 minutes from the chequered flag.

It caught a few riders out, including Pedro Acosta, Brad Binder, and Augusto Fernandez who all had to make their way back to the pits with slick tyres on a sodden Sepang surface. Fortunately, none of them crashed.

Acosta did crash earlier in the session, though, folding the front at turn two in the dry. It didn't affect him too much; he was able to ride back to the pits and ultimately finished the session 10th-fastest.

Alex Marquez was the only other crasher, going down at turn seven and taking an uncomfortable hit on the raised kerb that sits between turns seven and eight. Marquez, one of the pre-weekend victory favourites in Sepang, finished seventh-fastest.

For Francesco Bagnaia, FP1 ended with a perhaps-encouraging second place behind Aldeguer, albeit 0.256 seconds behind the rookie. 

Next came Joan Mir on the leading Honda, whose second-best rider was Luca Marini in sixth and only half-a-tenth slower than his teammate.

Marco Bezzecchi made sure Aprilia was also in the top-five, the Italian finishing the session fifth.

Pol Espargaro was once again the fastest KTM rider in fourth place. Fabio Quartararo was the best Yamaha in eighth, just ahead of Jack Miller in ninth.

Aside from Espargaro, who continues to replace Maverick Vinales, three test riders are present this weekend, two as replacements. Michele Pirro was 20th on the factory Ducati; Lorenzo Savadori 21st on the factory Aprilia; and Augusto Fernandez was 22nd on the Yamaha V4.