2025 Valencia MotoGP Practice Results – Friday
November 14, 2025
Gresini rookie Fermin Aldeguer was fastest in rain-affected Malaysian MotoGP FP1 at the Sepang International Circuit, as several riders struggled in challenging conditions.
The Spaniard who was just off securing his maiden MotoGP victory at the Indonesian Grand Prix a fortnight ago, set a best lap time of 2:00.199, securing the top position by a margin of 0.256 seconds over two-time world champion Francesco Bagnaia.
The session began under dry conditions allowing riders to establish early pace, but was dramatically interrupted when heavy rain began to fall with approximately ten minutes remaining, effectively freezing the leaderboard and preventing any late improvements.
The sudden change in weather highlighted the unpredictable nature of the Malaysian climate, a recurring theme at Sepang where “four seasons in one day” is a common occurrence, and underscored the importance of timing and strategy in such volatile conditions.
Fermin Aldeguer’s performance was particularly impressive given the circumstances, as he managed to set his fastest lap on his sixth of ten laps during the dry phase of the session.
His use of the medium-compound rear tyre, a choice shared by Bagnaia and others, suggests a conservative approach to tyre management, possibly indicating a lack of confidence in the soft-compound rear or a strategic decision to gather data for longer runs.
The fact that no rider ventured out on soft rear tyres before the rain arrived adds a layer of intrigue, leaving teams and analysts to speculate whether this was a planned tactic or a missed opportunity to set a definitive benchmark before the downpour.
Francesco Bagnaia, despite finishing second, showed encouraging signs of recovery after a difficult run of results in the preceding rounds at Mandalika and Phillip Island where his championship challenge faltered.
Bagnaia’s garage reportedly contained two different specification Ducati GP25s with his fastest lap reportedly set on the newer spec GP25, suggesting a significant development effort from Ducati to address stability issues that have plagued the team in recent races.
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Meanwhile, Joan Mir delivered a strong showing for Honda in third, just 0.349 seconds behind Aldeguer as teammate Luca Marini took sixth, just half a tenth slower than Mir.
Pol Espargaro was the leading KTM rider in fourth place continuing his role as a reliable points-scorer for the Austrian team, while Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi rounded out the top five ensuring that four different manufacturers were represented in the top half of the leaderboard.
However, Malaysian MotoGP FP1 was not without incident, as several riders experienced crashes and technical difficulties.
KTM’s Pedro Acosta crashed early in the session after he folded the front end of his RC16 at Turn 2 while the track was still dry.
Despite this setback, Acosta showed remarkable resilience by returning to the pits and ultimately finishing the session in 10th place, a testament to his growing maturity and ability to manage adversity.
His crash was one of three for the day, with Jack Miller also going down at the final corner just moments before the rain began to fall. However, the Australian rider still managed to secure ninth place just behind his Yamaha stablemate Fabio Quartararo.
Alex Marquez, another pre-race favorite and a former Sprint winner at Sepang crashed at Turn 7 after taking an uncomfortable hit on the raised kerb between Turns 7 and 8.
Despite the crash the Spaniard demonstrated his championship form by finishing seventh-fastest, a result that keeps him on track to secure second place in the overall standings this weekend.
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