World championship leader Francesco Bagnaia may have qualified ahead of MotoGP title rivals Fabio Quartararo and Aleix Espargaro, but will only start ninth on the grid for potentially the biggest race of his career.
Pole position deservedly went the way of Jorge Martin following a brilliant performance that saw him break the lap record by six tenths in Sepang, but Marc Marquez was arguably just as impressive during qualifying at the Malaysian MotoGP.
Marc Marquez has defended his tactics in Q1 and Q2, which saw the eight-time world champion attempt to profit from a tow behind series leader Francesco Bagnaia at the Malaysian MotoGP.
Red Bull and the FIA are yet to reach a deal over the ongoing F1 cost cap saga after talks were held between the two parties on Friday at the United States Grand Prix.
Ai Ogura took a crucial pole position, to give him space and rivals between himself and title rival Augusto Fernandez ahead of the Moto2 Malaysian Grand Prix.
Charles Leclerc outpaced Valtteri Bottas in an extended second practice at the United States Grand Prix as F1 teams conducted a blind test for Pirelli’s 2023 tyres.