Official Sepang MotoGP Test results - Day 3 (FINAL)

Final lap times during Sunday’s third and last day of the 2023 Official Sepang MotoGP Test.
Luca Marini, Sepang MotoGP test, 12 February
Luca Marini, Sepang MotoGP test, 12 February

VR46 Ducati's Luca Marini has finished the Sepang MotoGP test on top of the timesheets after a late flying lap kept Ducati's reigning world champion Francesco Bagnaia at bay by 0.080s.

It means that Marini, riding last year's GP22, has now topped both winter tests having also been quickest at Valencia last November. The final pre-season outing will be held at Portimao next month, venue for the opening race on March 26.

Bagnaia, Maverick Vinales and Aleix Espargaro were tied for the highest top speed of the day (and test) at 337.5km/h.

Another damp start in Malaysia meant only Johann Zarco (on wet tyres) set a lap time in Sunday's opening hour.

Bagnaia was the first to try slicks at 11:20am, after which Saturday leader Jorge Martin (Pramac Ducati) was fastest for much of the final day.

Aprilia's Maverick Vinales moved ahead at 4:30pm, as dark clouds began to gather over the circuit.

Marini set the first 1m 57 lap of the test shortly after, with Bagnaia then slotting into second as the only other rider under 1m 58s.

The rain arrived later than expected, at 5:30pm.

2023 Official Sepang MotoGP Test - Day 3 (FINAL)
  RiderNatTeamTimeLapSpeed
1^3Luca MariniITAMooney VR46 Ducati (GP22)1m 57.889s47/54336.4
2^8Francesco BagnaiaITADucati Lenovo (GP23)+0.080s42/43337.5
3^2Maverick ViñalesSPAAprilia Racing (RS-GP 23)+0.147s50/56337.5
4^8Enea BastianiniITADucati Lenovo (GP23)+0.260s37/42335.4
5˅4Jorge MartinSPAPramac Ducati (GP23)+0.315s24/46336.4
6˅4Aleix EspargaroSPAAprilia Racing (RS-GP 23)+0.418s13/32337.5
7^8Fabio Di GiannantonioITAGresini Ducati (GP22)+0.455s47/50333.3
8˅5Marco BezzecchiITAMooney VR46 Ducati (GP22)+0.474s37/61336.4
9=Alex MarquezSPAGresini Ducati (GP22)+0.496s43/49334.3
10˅4Marc MarquezSPARepsol Honda (RC213V)+0.777s17/55336.4
11˅4Raul FernandezSPARNF Aprilia (RS-GP 22)+0.821s29/47332.3
12^4Joan MirSPARepsol Honda (RC213V)+0.895s40/45332.3
13˅5Pol EspargaroSPATech3 GASGAS (RC16)+0.908s13/37334.3
14^7Brad BinderRSARed Bull KTM (RC16)+0.923s44/52332.3
15^2Johann ZarcoFRAPramac Ducati (GP22)+0.963s42/50333.3
16^8Jack MillerAUSRed Bull KTM (RC16)+1.012s41/54333.3
17˅4Miguel OliveiraPORRNF Aprilia (RS-GP 22)+1.033s41/52333.3
18=Alex RinsSPALCR Honda (RC213V)+1.043s50/55332.3
19˅5Fabio QuartararoFRAMonster Yamaha (YZR-M1)+1.054s48/63334.3
20˅9Franco MorbidelliITAMonster Yamaha (YZR-M1)+1.097s38/44331.2
21˅2Takaaki NakagamiJPNLCR Honda (RC213V)+1.646s42/44328.2
22˅2Augusto FernandezSPATech3 GASGAS (RC16)*+1.771s32/46330.2
23˅1Cal CrutchlowGBRYamaha Test Rider (YZR-M1)+2.034s13/40332.3
24˅1Stefan BradlGERHonda Test Rider (RC213V)+2.546s32/43330.2

* Rookie.

Fastest Day 2 Time:
Jorge Martin SPA Pramac Ducati 1m 58.736s

Fastest Day 1 Time:
Marco Bezzecchi ITA VR46 Ducati 1m 58.470s

2023 Sepang MotoGP Shakedown Test:
Michele Pirro ITA Ducati Test Rider 1m 59.803s

Official Sepang MotoGP records:
Best lap:
Jorge Martin SPA Ducati 1m 57.790s (2022)
Fastest race lap:
Jorge Martin SPA Ducati 1m 59.634s (2022)

Remote video URL

Official Sepang MotoGP Test - Day 2:

Morning drizzle meant a slow start to day two, while afternoon rain brought the slick-tyre action to an end at 3pm.

After a handful of laps on wets this morning, conditions soon became good enough for slicks, with day one leader Marco Bezzecchi becoming the first to break the 2min barrier today.

The pace of improvements saw Bezzecchi pushed down to tenth by 2pm, when Pramac's Jorge Martin was fastest from RNF Aprilia's Miguel Oliveira, GASGAS Tech3's Pol Espargaro, Monster Yamaha's Fabio Quartararo and Ducati's reigning world champion Francesco Bagnaia.

But drizzle returned shortly after, sending all riders back to the pits. The rain drops then cleared and riders began returning to the track... only for steady rain to soak the circuit from 3pm onwards.

Martin thus remained fastest, despite a fall that left him with deep abrasion cuts on his right hand, with the Pramac rider's 1m 58.736s a few tenths shy of Bezzecchi's Friday time.

Martin, who had one of the new Ducati fairings to try today, set his time on the 2023 bike and said he is ready to race.

Quartararo, who has some lower fairing vents added to his prototype Yamaha today, set another impressive top speed of 335.4km/h, slightly better than yesterday.

The only riders faster through the speed trap on Saturday were the Ducatis of Bagnaia and Martin, who matched Enea Bastianini's 336.4km/h from day one.

After riding on all three days of the Shakedown, then missing day one of the Official test, Yamaha called-up Cal Crutchlow for more development work on day two.

Many riders used the soaking late-afternoon conditions to conduct some wet weather testing...

2023 Official Sepang MotoGP Test - Day 2 (FINAL)
  RiderNatTeamTimeLapSpeed
1=Jorge MartinSPAPramac Ducati (GP23)1m 58.736s13/17336.4
2=Miguel OliveiraPORRNF Aprilia (RS-GP 22)+0.103s21/52335.4
3=Pol EspargaroSPATech3 GASGAS (RC16)+0.145s11/29334.3
4=Fabio QuartararoFRAMonster Yamaha (YZR-M1)+0.161s8/34335.4
5=Francesco BagnaiaITADucati Lenovo (GP23)+0.331s8/35336.4
6=Raul FernandezSPARNF Aprilia (RS-GP 22)+0.376s22/35330.2
7=Luca MariniITAMooney VR46 Ducati (GP22)+0.382s13/50334.3
8=Alex RinsSPALCR Honda (RC213V)+0.427s11/28331.2
9=Enea BastianiniITADucati Lenovo (GP23)+0.458s17/32332.3
10=Brad BinderRSARed Bull KTM (RC16)+0.494s7/30331.2
11=Franco MorbidelliITAMonster Yamaha (YZR-M1)+0.553s8/44333.3
12=Marco BezzecchiITAMooney VR46 Ducati (GP22)+0.625s12/31334.3
13=Marc MarquezSPARepsol Honda (RC213V)+0.714s9/36333.3
14=Fabio Di GiannantonioITAGresini Ducati (GP22)+0.766s17/40333.3
15=Johann ZarcoFRAPramac Ducati (GP22)+0.767s15/36333.3
16=Joan MirSPARepsol Honda (RC213V)+0.896s11/36330.2
17=Alex MarquezSPAGresini Ducati (GP22)+1.011s9/36331.2
18=Maverick ViñalesSPAAprilia Racing (RS-GP 23)+1.034s22/35331.2
19=Jack MillerAUSRed Bull KTM (RC16)+1.123s27/47330.2
20=Aleix EspargaroSPAAprilia Racing (RS-GP 23)+1.281s7/26334.3
21=Takaaki NakagamiJPNLCR Honda (RC213V)+1.487s19/32330.2
22=Cal CrutchlowGBRYamaha Test Rider (YZR-M1)+1.618s14/41330.2
23=Augusto FernandezSPATech3 GASGAS (RC16)*+1.996s19/32326.2

* Rookie.

Official Sepang MotoGP Test - Day 1:

Marco Bezzecchi, using a 2022-spec Desmosedici, stole the limelight with a late lap of 1m 58.470s, with Aprilia's Maverick Vinales then moving into second place to break what had been an all-Ducati top three for much of the day.

New factory Ducati rider Enea Bastianini, team-mate and reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia, plus Pramac's Jorge Martin all took turns at the top on their way to third, fourth and fifth.

Other final-hour improvements by the likes of Johann Zarco, Fabio di Giannantonio, Alex Marquez and Franco Morbidelli pushed Fabio Quartararo and Marc Marquez to eleventh and twelfth.

Quartararo had three Yamahas in the Monster pits (and set an impressive top speed) while Marquez had four RCVs in the Repsol Honda garage (one with a new 'ground effect' style fairing, which he didn't get time to try on day one).

While the other KTMs looked to start on 2022 spec, Jack Miller appeared to go straight to the new parts, including the carbon-black fairing tested by Dani Pedrosa at the Shakedown. Brad Binder switched to the new aero later in the day.

Miller was the top RC16 rider in 16th.

 

2023 Official Sepang MotoGP Test - Day 1 (FINAL)
  RiderNatTeamTimeLapSpeed
1^10Marco BezzecchiITAMooney VR46 Ducati (GP22)1m 58.47s54/55335.4
2^2Maverick ViñalesSPAAprilia Racing (RS-GP 23)+0.130s65/67333.3
3˅2Enea BastianiniITADucati Lenovo (GP23)+0.262s42/54336.4
4˅2Jorge MartinSPAPramac Ducati (GP23)+0.267s21/67335.4
5˅2Francesco BagnaiaITADucati Lenovo (GP23)+0.387s23/58334.3
6˅1Aleix EspargaroSPAAprilia Racing (RS-GP 23)+0.471s44/49332.3
7^2Johann ZarcoFRAPramac Ducati (GP22)+0.496s46/56333.3
8^7Fabio Di GiannantonioITAGresini Ducati (GP22)+0.551s45/47332.3
9^1Alex MarquezSPAGresini Ducati (GP22)+0.566s47/53332.3
10^9Franco MorbidelliITAMonster Yamaha (YZR-M1)+0.648s54/59333.3
11˅5Fabio QuartararoFRAMonster Yamaha (YZR-M1)+0.952s47/58334.3
12˅5Marc MarquezSPARepsol Honda (RC213V)+0.954s23/58333.3
13˅5Luca MariniITAMooney VR46 Ducati (GP22)+0.999s21/50334.3
14˅2Miguel OliveiraPORRNF Aprilia (RS-GP 22)+1.260s39/50331.2
15^6Raul FernandezSPARNF Aprilia (RS-GP 22)+1.343s52/54331.2
16^4Jack MillerAUSRed Bull KTM (RC16)+1.356s48/53330.2
17˅4Joan MirSPARepsol Honda (RC213V)+1.362s47/53330.2
18˅4Alex RinsSPALCR Honda (RC213V)+1.493s49/66331.2
19˅3Augusto FernandezSPATech3 GASGAS (RC16)*+1.557s23/58326.2
20˅3Pol EspargaroSPATech3 GASGAS (RC16)+1.608s40/58331.2
21˅3Brad BinderRSARed Bull KTM (RC16)+1.615s18/60330.2
22=Takaaki NakagamiJPNLCR Honda (RC213V)+2.734s27/49328.2
23=Katsuyuki NakasugaJPNYamaha Test Rider (YZR-M1)+2.769s45/58327.2
24=Stefan BradlGERHonda Test Rider (RC213V)+5.031s2/3325.3

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