Seven MotoGP™ stars have switched manufacturers for 2023, but how did their three days go in Malaysia?
2023 sees seven premier class stars switching manufacturers from what they rode in 2022. We got a first glimpse of those riders on their new machines at the Valencia Test back in November, but the Sepang Test is where we really saw these MotoGP™ stars get to grips with the tools they’ll be racing with this year.
Let’s have a closer look at how they got on during the three days in Malaysia, before pre-season testing resumes at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve on the 11th and 12th of March.
Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™)
One of the dark horses for 2023? There’s plenty who think so. After three years on a Honda – one in Repsol colours and two in LCR Castrol colours – the two-time World Champion links up with Ducati for 2023, as Alex Marquez gets set to compete on the GP22 – the bike that helped Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) to win the title and Ducati claim the coveted Triple Crown.
New rides, fresh starts: MotoGP™ stars tackle new challenges
And it’s been a very promising start to life as a Ducati rider for the number 73. Marquez was the fastest new bike debutant in Sepang after setting a 1:58.385, a time just 0.496s off Luca Marini’s (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) rapid 1:57.889 lap. That effort was also over one and a half seconds quicker than Marquez managed in Q1 at the 2022 Malaysian GP.
“Quite comfortable, really positive, really happy” were some of the words coming out of the Spaniard’s mouth in Sepang, but there’s still vast room for improvement – especially in the braking zones: “We are missing some things in the braking point to try and make something more.” Alex Marquez and Ducati is a very exciting prospect.
Raul Fernandez (RNF MotoGP™ Team):
After taking the world by storm in his rookie Moto2™ campaign in 2021, Raul Fernandez moved up to the premier class as one of the…