09:05
Fastest lap time
Jorge Martin sets the fastest lap of the race and is able to gain a small lead of 0.7 seconds over Bagnaia.
2.
09:03
The first positions
A lap is completed and Jorge Martin leads the field in front of Francesco Bagnaia. Right behind Bagnaia is his future teammate Enea Bastianini. Bastianini has thwarted Bagnaia on numerous occasions, so it will be interesting to see how far he will keep up with Bagnaia. Marc Márquez is currently fourth.
1.
09:01
Outstanding start from Bagnaia
The traffic lights go out and the first curves have been completed. What a start from Francesco Bagnaia! He rushes straight from ninth to second place. But Fabio Quartararo also got off to a good start and moved up from 12th to sixth. That puts him behind Franco Morbidelli as he conceded quickly and is now fifth.
08:58
Dinner is served!
Exactly at this moment the field of drivers goes on the warm-up lap. It will start in a few moments.
08:54
tire choice
According to the official tire list, all pilots have opted for the medium tire at the front. The drivers also agreed on the rear tire. The soft mixture should do the trick. It will be crucial who can best get the tires over the distance. The race will last 20 laps.
08:44
Martin with the absolute best time
An absolute candidate for victory today is certainly Jorge Martin. The Spaniard drove an outstanding qualifying session and continued to lower the lap time for a new “all-time lap record”. Ultimately, he is the first rider to complete the Sepang International Circuit in under 1:58. Next to him, Enea Bastianini and Marc Márquez will start from the front row. Both are not known for holding back in the battle for positions.
08:37
Shaky qualifying
All three title contenders lost their feathers in qualifying. All three had to cope with falls and will start the race from midfield. Nevertheless, Bagnaia has secured the best starting position, starting in ninth place ahead of Aleix Espargaro (10th) and Fabio Quartataro (12th). In addition, the reigning world champion broke the middle finger on his left hand when he fell in qualifying. A circumstance that should not make defending the world championship title any easier.
08:29
Premature World Cup decision
There are different scenarios when the World Championships can already be decided in Malaysia today. Should Francesco Bagnaia win and El Diablo not find his way onto the podium, the Italian would be world champion. The same applies to second place and Fabio Quartararo finishing seventh or worse. In addition, Aleix Espargaro should not win. In general, Bagnaia has to score eleven points more than its direct competitor.
08:25
Match point Bagnaia
Pecco Bagnaia took over the championship lead from Fabio Quartararo last weekend. In the middle of the season, the Duati pilot was lagging behind with 91 points, but he was able to turn the tide again with an outstanding second half of the season. Bagnaia travels to the penultimate World Championship race of the season with a 14-point lead and has the match point on his side. Quartararo, on the other hand, looks back on a lousy second half and constantly has to push the limit.
Warm welcome!
The Malaysia Grand Prix is the hot phase of the 2022 season and the penultimate race of the year! It starts at 9:00 a.m.!