SEPANG: MotoGP defending champion Francesco Bagnaia proved he is in fine form at the Petronas Grand Prix of Malaysia after breaking his own all-time lap record at Sepang Circuit this morning (Nov 2).
The Ducati Lenovo rider clocked a blistering one minute and 56.337 second lap to substantially lower the previous record of 1:57.491s he had set here last year.
Bagnaia, better known by his nickname Pecco, will thus start the sprint race later today from pole position.
Championship leader Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing), who holds a 17 point advantage over Bagnaia, will start from second position (+0.216s) while Gresini Racing's Alex Marquez (+0.938s) rounds out the front row.
Pramac's Franco Morbidelli (+0.942s), Gresini's Marc Marquez (+0.964s) and Ducati's Enea Bastianini (+1.029s) fill the second row.
Qualifying took place in overcast conditions with the threat of rain looming ahead of the sprint race which is scheduled to start at 3pm.