Quartararo and Rins Secure Places in Sepang Saturday's Q2
Pictures for editorial use only
Copyright 2025 Yamaha Motor Racing Srl
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP had to think on their feet on the Grand Prix of Malaysia Friday as the conditions were changeable at the Sepang International Circuit. Through strategic riding, Fabio Quartararo and Álex Rins finished inside the top 10 in the afternoon Practice. They secured fifth and tenth place respectively, putting both riders on the Q2 entry list.
Sepang (Malaysia), 24 October 2025
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP's Fabio Quartararo and Álex Rins showed speed in the Grand Prix of Malaysia Practice session. Despite a mixed first day at the Sepang track in terms of weather conditions, the teammates set solid lap times and successfully put in their bids for places in tomorrow's Q2. They finished in fifth and tenth place respectively in the Practice rankings.
Quartararo had a good start to the Malaysian GP weekend and had set the eighth fastest time in FP1 before a sudden downpour. He soon held the same position in the afternoon Practice live timing, but the time attacks kicked off earlier than normal as dark clouds started to form. The Frenchman was temporarily bumped out of the top 10 but soon recovered to P1. However, he wasn't home dry just yet. Several competitors saved their best effort for last, pushing him back to the danger zone. The Yamaha man responded with a 1'57.868s best time, set on lap 15/15, which earned him fifth place, 0.309s from the top.
Rins struggled to find grip in the morning, and with a monsoon ending progress early, he finished FP1 in 18th place. He knew he had work to do in the afternoon and made the most of the available dry track time in the Practice before starting his first shoot out. He timed it perfectly, before spots of rain started to fall, and found some extra speed to move up to fifth. However, as more hot laps came in, he was pushed outside the top 10 again. During the final time attack the Spaniard gave it his all. His 1'58.117s, clocked on lap 16, moved him temporarily into fourth again. Keen to put in another lap as the times kept dropping, he set a fastest first sector on his last try but crashed in Turn 5. He walked away unhurt and still held P10 at the end of the Practice, 0.558s from the top.
The Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team will be back in action tomorrow for the Saturday MotoGP sessions: FP2 will be held from 10:10-10:40 GMT+8, followed by the qualifying sessions from 10:50-11:30, and the 10-lap Sprint, which starts at 15:00.
Quartararo had a good start to the Malaysian GP weekend and had set the eighth fastest time in FP1 before a sudden downpour. He soon held the same position in the afternoon Practice live timing, but the time attacks kicked off earlier than normal as dark clouds started to form. The Frenchman was temporarily bumped out of the top 10 but soon recovered to P1. However, he wasn't home dry just yet. Several competitors saved their best effort for last, pushing him back to the danger zone. The Yamaha man responded with a 1'57.868s best time, set on lap 15/15, which earned him fifth place, 0.309s from the top.
Rins struggled to find grip in the morning, and with a monsoon ending progress early, he finished FP1 in 18th place. He knew he had work to do in the afternoon and made the most of the available dry track time in the Practice before starting his first shoot out. He timed it perfectly, before spots of rain started to fall, and found some extra speed to move up to fifth. However, as more hot laps came in, he was pushed outside the top 10 again. During the final time attack the Spaniard gave it his all. His 1'58.117s, clocked on lap 16, moved him temporarily into fourth again. Keen to put in another lap as the times kept dropping, he set a fastest first sector on his last try but crashed in Turn 5. He walked away unhurt and still held P10 at the end of the Practice, 0.558s from the top.
The Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team will be back in action tomorrow for the Saturday MotoGP sessions: FP2 will be held from 10:10-10:40 GMT+8, followed by the qualifying sessions from 10:50-11:30, and the 10-lap Sprint, which starts at 15:00.
Massimo Meregalli
Team Director, Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP
Fabio Quartararo
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Rider
"I'm not feeling great on the bike so far. When the grip is low, we tend to struggle. The feeling is a bit different than usual, and we haven't been able to find a solution yet. We know we are fast over one lap, but we are still trying to figure out how to improve our pace over a race distance. Hopefully, the weather can help us out a bit tomorrow."
Álex Rins
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Rider
"The track conditions were quite tricky in the wet and also in mixed conditions with some drops of rain. But today managing the tyres was the main difficulty. In FP1, we were suffering a lot with the rear tyre and also the front. We were using tyres that we didn't use in the test, because we know they don't work, but we needed to save the other tyres, so we used these tyres today. Anyway, apart from this we struggled with grip in the Practice too. It was dry, but the grip on track was not perfect. But we tried to find traction on the bike and a good set-up, and in the end I'm inside the top 10, so this is quite positive. I crashed in corner five because I was on the limit, but I'm in Q2 for the third time in a row, so I'm quite happy."
"The mixed conditions made it a busy and tricky but also strategically interesting day. Despite a lack of rear grip – which seems to be a general problem as the overall field is quite far from the all-time lap record at this track – and despite the constantly changing track conditions, we were able to make progress. Both our riders did a great job adapting to the changes. They made the most of the available dry track time and pushed when it counted most. Álex had a crash in Turn 5 and was unable to finish his second time attack, but the most important thing is that he wasn't injured and is still in Q2. Having both riders inside the top 10 was the goal for today, and we achieved this. Our one-lap speed is pretty decent, but we will continue to work on long-run pace. The team will work hard this evening and tomorrow morning to help the riders find something extra for tomorrow's qualifying and the Sprint."