MotoGP 2026: during the winter test at the Sepang International Circuit, Marc Marquez is the fastest on day 1 – paultan.org

With the 2026 MotoGP winter test kicking off this week at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC), there’s plenty of drama on day one. Unsurprisingly, incumbent MotoGP champion Marc Marquez posted a 1’57.018, which is pretty good considering the last time the Spaniard rode SIC was at the 2025 Winter Test.

Bad luck for Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo, who crashed at Turn 5. Although initially given the all-clear by trackside medics, Quartararo complained of persistent pain in his arm and hand, reporting a broken finger and opting to fly home to recover.

The second fastest test time for the 2026 Winter Test went to Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team’s Fabio Di Giannantonio, followed by Red Bull KTM Tech 3’s Maverick Vinales. Meanwhile, Ducati Lenovo Team’s Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia achieved the eighth fastest time on the first day of testing, 0.702 seconds behind Marc Marquez.

However, Pecco remains undeterred and the two-time MotoGP World Champion said a full race simulation will be conducted on day two (today) of the Winter Test. Ducati remained dominant throughout the day’s testing, with Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team’s Franco “Frankie” Morbidelli finishing in the top ten.

In the Yamaha camp, apart from Quartararo’s withdrawal from this year’s test, Jack Miller, Alex Rins and Toprak Razgatlioglu will take up the challenge of making the new Yamaha YZR-M1 V-four competitive. Razgatlioglu, still coming to terms with the YZR-M1, experimented with different seats and found a breakthrough with late braking on the rear aerodynamics.

Aprilia’s Marco Bezzechi put in one strong day, finishing fifth just half a second behind Marc Marquez. Bezzechi’s Aprilia RS-GP was seen on track with several new components, including a new tail unit and larger seat wings, and a new swingarm.

KTM Red Bull also saw major changes to the RC16 line-up at Sepang, with a new chassis, swingarm and aerodynamics. Maverick Vinales was effusive in his praise for the KTM Red Bull engine during the press debriefing, saying that there are finally significant changes to the bike for testing.