Bagnaia took charge and topped the timesheets on day one of MotoGP practice in Sepang. The session was marked by Jorge Martín’s late crash and Marc Márquez’s nail-biting qualification for Q2, while Yamaha secured two spots.
The most important session of the day for MotoGP was about to begin, shrouded in some uncertainty as there was a forecast of rain despite the intense heat felt on the circuit. With the track completely dry and some rubber on the track, it was expected that this session would be more intense. Jorge Martín wasted no time and went straight to the front in the first few seconds with a lap of 1:58.978s, which promised a lot of speed.
And the first crash happened very early on, with Brad Binder crashing at turn 4, without any injuries.
Meanwhile, Jack Miller moved up to second place, with Pedro Acosta in third, Johann Zarco in fourth, and Fabio Quartararo in fifth.
Aleix Espargaró was not having an easy time and crashed at turn 9 but managed to re-enter the track with the help of the marshals, and then head to the Aprilia garage.
With 15 minutes of the session completed, the first trip to the pits was made by most of the riders, with Martín still in the lead and with a slight improvement on his previous record, now at 1:58.939s. In fact, the Spaniard was one of the few who continued on the track, like Luca Marini.
Pecco Bagnaia, on the other hand, did not seem particularly happy, as he was in 18th place, for now:
Not looking 100% happy yet! #MalaysianGP 🇲🇾 pic.twitter.com/SlhtTAgabn
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) November 1, 2024
The Italian did not waste much time in the garage and quickly returned to the track and for now at least managed to improve, moving up to ninth.
Martín, on his return, had a moment at turn 15 but without crashing.
With 30 minutes to go, Enea Bastianini was sixth, ahead of Fabio Quartararo, while the Frenchman in turn was the rider above Marc Márquez. Bastianini and Márquez, it should be remembered, are fighting for third place in the championship. Zarco maintained a good position as the best Honda, and A. Espargaró in 14th was the best rider on the Aprilia, he who crashed once again… and at the same corner.
Two crashes at Turn 9!
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) November 1, 2024
It's certainly not @aleixespargaro's favourite corner! 💥#MalaysianGP 🇲🇾 pic.twitter.com/Q9KINmWNoo
Bagnaia, now in 10th, returned to the garage once more and continued to look unimpressed, as he was now at risk of losing the position that provisionally granted direct access to Q2.
With 26 minutes remaining on the clock, Marco Bezzecchi crashed at turn 15, without any major issues for rider number 72.
The session entered a calmer phase with no major developments, until Takaaki Nakagami’s rise to third position, with 13 minutes to go, being one of the highlights. Shortly after, Bagnaia was on the attack with the best time for now… something he confirmed, taking 0.659s off Martín’s time.
In the space of seconds, Martín dropped from first to fourth, as Bastianini also improved and moved up to second, as well as Álex Rins, who had just set the third-fastest time. Shortly after, Jack Miller also improved and set the fourth-fastest time, relegating Martín to fifth, and the times continued to drop as many riders improved.
The championship leader didn’t want to be left behind and ended up recovering the fastest time with a lap of 1:57.829s, with the second-placed Bastianini 0.432s behind.
Quartararo, meanwhile, with his “old” engine and bike, as confirmed by Massimo Meregalli, moved up to fourth, after a lap of 1:57.729s by, well, Jorge Martín.
And Bagnaia didn’t want to be left behind and set the fastest lap of the day at Sepang so far with a 1:57.679s, with Rins now moving up to fourth and forcing Quartararo to fifth position. Two Yamahas in the top five, who would have thought?!
Meanwhile, with just under three minutes to go, Martín crash, in turn 1, without serious injuries. His training thus came to an end prematurely.
Championship leader in the gravel! 😱@88jorgemartin drops it just as he was starting his flying lap! 💥#MalaysianGP 🇲🇾 pic.twitter.com/eNsvH44xYS
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) November 1, 2024
It was the final moment to secure a direct Q2 spot, and Marc Márquez was struggling in 11th place, contrary to his brother Álex who had just moved up to fourth.
Nevertheless, the #93 managed to salvage a direct entry into Q2 at the very end, with Pedro Acosta falling just short.