Enea Bastianini was the fastest in the final day of Sepang MotoGP test, setting a new unofficial lap record.
Enea Bastianini continued putting an impressive performance from the first day of pre-season testing during the Sepang test by setting a new unofficial lap record on the final day.
Despite finishing fourth on Saturday aboard the GP21 version of Ducati’s premier class prototype, Gresini Ducati rider Aleix Espargaro managed to beat Saturday’s pacesetter Aleix Espargaro ahead of the lunch break on the final day at Sepang International Circuit.
Bastianini set a blistering time of 1:58.131s to finish quickest, just 0.026s ahead of opening day pacesetter Aleix Espargaro.
Espargaro started by setting a new Sepang lap record of 1:58.157s early on Sunday, but his lead was short-lived as Bastianini moved clear with an even faster 1:58.131s, a speed that would remain unchallenged for the remainder of the day owing to a rain shower after lunch that hindered running.
The Aprilia rider ended the final test ranking second on the timesheets ahead of Pramac Ducati’s Jorge Martin, with Suzuki’s Alex Rins managing fourth on the same time as Maverick Vinales’ Aprilia RS-GP.
Francesco Bagnaia finished sixth, barely ahead of 2021 MotoGP world champion Fabio Quartararo, with Marc Marquez finishing eighth marking the fastest Honda rider.
Pramac Ducati’s Johann Zarco and Honda’s Pol Espargaro rounded out the top ten just 0.289s apart.
Joan Mir finished 12th fastest despite crashing at Turn 15 earlier on in the day, while Marco Bezzecchi of VR46 finished 16th overall as the fastest rookie after crashing at the same turn.
KTM remained near the back of the pack, with Miguel Oliveria finishing 15th, 0.570s behind Bastianini’s pace.
Yamaha was also towards the bottom of the leader board, with Andrea Dovizioso of RNF Racing in 21st place, nearly a second behind test rider Cal Crutchlow, and Franco Morbidelli and Darryn Binder in 24th and 25th place, respectively.
The MotoGP team will now go to Indonesia’s new Mandalika circuit for the second and final pre-season test, which will begin on Friday ahead of the championship opener in Qatar.
2022 SEPANG MOTOGP TEST – SUNDAY (FINAL)
| POS | RIDER | NAT | TEAM | TIME | |
| 1 | = | Enea Bastianini | ITA | Gresini Ducati (GP21) | 1m 58.131s |
| 2 | = | Aleix Espargaro | SPA | Aprilia Racing (RS-GP) | +0.026s |
| 3 | = | Jorge Martin | SPA | Pramac Ducati (GP22) | +0.112s |
| 4 | = | Alex Rins | SPA | Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) | +0.130s |
| 5 | = | Maverick Vinales | SPA | Aprilia Racing (RS-GP) | +0.130s |
| 6 | = | Francesco Bagnaia | ITA | Ducati Lenovo (GP22) | +0.134s |
| 7 | = | Fabio Quartararo | FRA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +0.182s |
| 8 | = | Marc Marquez | SPA | Repsol Honda (RC213V) | +0.201s |
| 9 | = | Johann Zarco | FRA | Pramac Ducati (GP22) | +0.282s |
| 10 | = | Pol Espargaro | SPA | Repsol Honda (RC213V) | +0.289s |
| 11 | = | Luca Marini | ITA | Mooney VR46 Ducati (GP22) | +0.299s |
| 12 | = | Joan Mir | SPA | Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) | +0.398s |
| 13 | = | Takaaki Nakagami | JPN | LCR Honda (RC213V) | +0.476s |
| 14 | = | Jack Miller | AUS | Ducati Lenovo (GP22) | +0.514s |
| 15 | = | Miguel Oliveira | POR | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +0.570s |
| 16 | = | Marco Bezzecchi | ITA | Mooney VR46 Ducati (GP21)* | +0.579s |
| 17 | = | Alex Marquez | SPA | LCR Honda (RC213V) | +0.669s |
| 18 | = | Brad Binder | RSA | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +0.885s |
| 19 | = | Raul Fernandez | SPA | KTM Tech3 (RC16)* | +1.049s |
| 20 | = | Fabio di Giannantonio | ITA | Gresini Ducati (GP21)* | +1.066s |
| 21 | = | Cal Crutchlow | GBR | Yamaha Test Rider (YZR-M1) | +1.131s |
| 22 | = | Andrea Dovizioso | ITA | WithU Yamaha RNF (YZR-M1) | +1.153s |
| 23 | = | Remy Gardner | AUS | KTM Tech3 (RC16)* | +1.217s |
| 24 | = | Franco Morbidelli | ITA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +1.234s |
| 25 | = | Darryn Binder | RSA | WithU Yamaha RNF (YZR-M1)* | +1.726s |
| 26 | = | Sylvain Guintoli | FRA | Suzuki Test Rider (GSX-RR) | +1.865s |
| 27 | = | Takuya Tsuda | JPN | Suzuki Test Rider (GSX-RR) | +7.547s |
