Aleix Espargaro sent an early message to the MotoGP paddock by topping the Sepang Shakedown Test, posting the fastest time of the three-day session and giving Honda a timely boost ahead of the official pre-season tests.
The veteran Spaniard clocked a best lap of 1m57.173s at the Sepang International Circuit, a time that would have placed him on the second row of the grid at last year’s Malaysian Grand Prix. The result underlined the strides Honda has made as it continues development of its 2026 prototype after several difficult seasons.
Espargaro was Honda’s primary focus during the test, pushing the limits of the new machine. Test rider Takaaki Nakagami worked separately on longer-term projects linked to the 2027 regulations, highlighting Honda’s parallel short- and long-term development strategy.
The shakedown also featured a closely fought duel between the Espargaro brothers. Pol Espargaro, riding KTM’s latest RC16, finished second overall and was consistently quick across all three days, ending just 0.126 seconds behind his older sibling. Despite a minor crash on Thursday, Pol recovered quickly and continued to deliver strong lap times, reinforcing KTM’s competitive potential heading into the season.
Yamaha made its first appearance on Friday thanks to its concession status and immediately showed signs of progress. Fabio Quartararo placed the new V4-powered M1 third on the combined timesheets with a 1m57.590s, finishing half a second behind Aleix Espargaro. Alex Rins followed closely in fourth, providing further encouragement that Yamaha’s radical technical shift could begin to close the gap to its rivals.
Attention also turned to the rookie battle, where Diogo Moreira emerged as the fastest newcomer. The LCR Honda rider made a significant overnight improvement on Saturday to edge ahead of Pramac’s Toprak Razgatlioglu, who had led the rookie classification for the first two days. Just one tenth of a second separated Moreira in sixth from Razgatlioglu in eighth, with KTM test rider Dani Pedrosa finishing between them in seventh.
Ducati test rider Michele Pirro focused on evaluating components for the GP26 throughout the shakedown. Despite suffering a pair of crashes late in the test, he ended the session ninth overall. Aprilia’s Lorenzo Savadori completed the top ten and is expected to remain in action next week as he continues to stand in for the injured Jorge Martin.
Other riders contributing valuable mileage included Jack Miller for Pramac, Yamaha tester Augusto Fernandez and KTM veteran Mika Kallio, all of whom gathered crucial data ahead of the full official Sepang test.
With Honda, KTM and Yamaha all showing encouraging signs, the Sepang Shakedown has set the stage for an intriguing pre-season as MotoGP teams prepare for the year ahead.
