Francesco Bagnaia 0.7s clear in Malaysian MotoGP FP1, Andrea Iannone 9th!

Maverick Vinales was the only rider to get within one-second of reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia in opening MotoGP practice at Sepang.

Bagnaia’s title rival Jorge Martin was sixth, with Andrea Iannone classified ninth in his first MotoGP session since 2019!

But all was not as it seemed, with the timesheets muddled by a mix of tyre tactics.

While all riders began the 45-minute session with medium front/hard rear tyres, some riders - including the top three of Bagnaia, Vinales and Marco Bezzecchi - switched to the preferred soft front/medium rear combo in the closing stages.

Bagnaia promptly set the first sub 1m 59s lap of the weekend, then the first 1m 58 to put his Lenovo Ducati 0.743s ahead of the Aprilia of Vinales.

It was a change of strategy for Bagnaia, who usually sticks with used tyres during FP1, but the threat of afternoon rain perhaps promoted him to try the preferred rubber.

Jack Miller used a new hard rear tyre to set the fourth-best time for KTM but stuck with a used medium front.

GASGAS Tech3 rookie Pedro Acosta was fifth with new medium/hard tyres. However, he suffered a low-speed fall at the end of the session.

Pramac Ducati title leader Jorge Martin, 17 points ahead of Bagnaia with two rounds to go, was sixth and the fastest rider to keep the same medium/hard tyres throughout FP1.

Bagnaia pulled aside on the back straight when informed that Martin was behind him during the middle stages.

The Pramac rider pulled across and sat behind him but the Italian was having none of it and, after slowing to a crawl, Martin eventually accelerated past.

2023 Sprint winner Alex Marquez put new medium/hard tyres for seventh place, while Fabio Quartararo impressed by leading much of FP1 for Yamaha on his way to an eventual eighth.

Quartararo - who has a new engine spec this weekend, but had to be pushed back to the pits by countryman Johann Zarco at one stage - kept the same medium front tyre but put a new hard rear at the end.

But the big surprise of the morning was ninth place (+1.856s) by Andrea Iannone, riding his first MotoGP laps since 2019.

The Italian, riding in place of Fabio di Giannantonio, vaulted from last place after fitting soft/medium tyres at the end of the session.

Even so, it was a head-turning performance after so long away from MotoGP, as he adjusted not only to carbon brakes, but the latest ride-height devices, aero and tyres.

Augusto Fernandez completed the top ten for Tech3, followed by the top Honda of Takaaki Nakagami, Gresini’s Marc Marquez, Pramac’s Franco Morbidelli and last year’s grand prix winner Enea Bastianini and KTM’s Brad Binder.

Of those six, Fernandez fitted new rubber, but the others all kept the same tyres throughout FP1.