MotoGP: Acosta Shines as Riders Seize Opportunity in Marquez’s Absence
Sepang, Malaysia – At Friday’s practice session at Sepang, the contending riders were taking charge. With Marc Márquez absent, other riders sensed an opportunity — and wasted little time making their move.
Pedro Acosta of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing stamped his authority early by setting the fastest lap at 1:57.559, narrowly ahead of Johann Zarco and Jack Miller.
On the inside track with my camera gear and press credentials, I could sense the shift in tempo: teams dialing in aggressive setups, riders digging deep, aware that this weekend could swing differently. With Márquez out of his usual dominant role, the usual order cracked. Big names like Francesco Bagnaia, Fermín Aldeguer and Raul Fernández found themselves outside the top 10 and forced into Q1.
A few take-aways:
- Acosta’s early crash at Turn 10 didn’t seem to rattle him; once he got a clear lap he capitalised.
- Weather and track conditions played their part: with rain flags mid-session and the threat of a drizzle looming, the timing of flying laps became critical.
- The tight margins: the difference between automatic Q2 and the grind of Q1 was razor-thin, which underlines how open this grid is right now.
Moto2: Gonzalez Leads, Moreira Close
In the Moto2 class, Manuel Gonzalez (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) emerged fastest, grabbing P1 with just minutes to spare.
Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team), despite being a title contender, ended Friday in P10 and will look to close gaps as the weekend progresses.
Close margins in Moto2 underline how tight this class is—teams and riders will need to be razor-sharp come qualifying.
Moto3: Rueda Sets the Pace, Rookie Moves
In Moto3, reigning world champion Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) claimed the lead with a 2:11.152, just 0.035 s ahead of rookie teammate Álvaro Carpe.
Notably, another rookie, Maximo Quiles (CFMOTO Power Electronics Aspar Team) faces Q1 after missing the top-rank cut, adding a subplot to the Moto3 weekend.
What to Watch
- The shift in MotoGP’s pecking order: with the usual front-runners compromised, will someone new emerge as a contender?
- In Moto2 and Moto3: how rookie talent and tight margins shape the weekend’s storylines.
- Behind the scenes: as I observed track-side, setups and strategy were being refined fast — the long race at Sepang places premium on more than raw speed.
Stay with us as we go deeper into the weekend: tomorrow we bring you full practice and qualifying results, race strategies from teams, bike-tech insights, and behind-the-scenes perspectives from the paddock.
