Bagnaia storms to pole at Malaysian MotoGP

VIDEO SHOWS: HIGHLIGHTS FROM MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX QUALIFYING IN SEPANG / SOUNDBITE FROM FRANCESCO BAGNAIA (DUCATI LENOVO TEAM) SHOWS: SEPANG, MALAYSIA (OCTOBER 25, 2025) (DORNA – See restrictions before use) 1. FRANCESCO BAGNAIA (DUCATI LENOVO TEAM) BOX FOOTAGE 2. VARIOUS OF BAGNAIA'S TRACK (Q1 & Q2) FOOTAGE 3. DUCATI CORSE GENERAL MANAGER LUIGI DALL'IGNA CLOSE-UP 4. VARIOUS OF BAGNAIA TRACK FOOTAGE  5. DALL'IGNA. CELEBRATING WITH DUCATI TEAM MEMBERS  6. BAGNAIA TRACK FOOTAGE 7. VARIOUS OF ALEX MARQUEZ (BK8 GRESINI RACING MOTOGPTM) TRACK FOOTAGE  8. MARQUEZ PARC FERME FOOTAGE 9. VARIOUS OF FRANCO MORBIDELLI (PERTAMINA ENDURO VR46 RACING TEAM) TRACK FOOTAGE  10. VARIOUS OF FABIO QUARTARARO (MONSTER ENERGY YAMAHA MOTOGPTM) TRACK FOOTAGE 11.  PEDRO ACOSTA (RED BULL KTM FACTORY RACING) TRACK FOOTAGE 12. ACOSTA CRASH FOOTAGE  13. FERMIN ALDEGUER (BK8 GRESINI RACING MOTOGPTM) TRACK FOOTAGE 14. JOAN MIR (HONDA HRC CASTROL) TRACK FOOTAGE 15. (SOUNDBITE) (English) FRANCESCO BAGNAIA SAYING:       "Difficult to explain, and like I said, it's a roller coaster, so I don't want to be, I'm happy, but I don't want to be too calm. I know that this afternoon will be tricky; the condition is very hot, so it will be important to remain calm and try to understand the situation. But this morning we did a good job. We tried different things, and it helped a bit, and not just me, also the Dukatis because yesterday we were more in trouble, so improvement is an improvement, and we just need to continue like this." STORY: Twice MotoGP champion Francesco Bagnaia of Italy secured his third pole position of the MotoGP season on Saturday (October 25), after edging Spaniard Alex Marquez by a fraction of a second in the Malaysian Grand Prix in Sepang. The Ducati rider clocked a blistering lap of one minute 57.001 seconds, finishing just 0.016 seconds ahead of Marquez (Gresini Racing), while Italian Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) took third place, 0.158 seconds off the pace. Bagnaia, who already holds Sepang's all-time lap record of 1'56.837 set last year, delivered a composed final run to seal his third pole of the season, continuing Ducati's strong form despite world champion Spain's Marc Marquez's absence due to injury. "Difficult to explain and, it's a rollercoaster. I'm happy, but I don't want to be too calm. I know that this afternoon will be tricky, the conditions are very hot, so it will be important to remain calm and try to understand the situation," Bagnaia said. "This morning we did a good job; we tried different things and it helped a bit. Not just me, also the Ducatis, because yesterday we were more in trouble, so it's an improvement and we just need to continue like this." After intermittent rain disrupted Friday's (October 24) practice sessions, several top contenders, including Indonesia winner Fermin Aldeguer of Spain, Motegi winner Bagnaia, Australia winner Spain's Raul Fernandez and Italian Marco Bezzecchi, were forced to contest Q1. Only Aldeguer and Bagnaia progressed. The 20-year-old Spaniard went quickest before crashing at Turn 4, then again in the paddock, though no one was harmed. In Q2, Bagnaia completed just one run, and his first flying lap was enough to secure provisional pole, beating Fabio Quartararo's early benchmark. The Monster Energy Yamaha rider eventually finished fourth. Aprilia's Marco Bezzecchi, who failed to reach Q2 for the first time since Aragon, will start 14th, one place behind Luca Marini (Honda HRC Castrol). (Production: Suramya Kaushik)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)