The Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team return to the Sepang International Circuit for the first time since the first Winter Test, back in February. This weekend they are visiting the track for the Grand Prix of Malaysia, the penultimate round of the 2022 MotoGP season.
With a 14-point gap to close in the championship standings, Quartararo will be on the attack in this upcoming GP. He will be pushing and is keen to find his mojo on the YZR-M1 early on so he can enjoy the riding and battling.
The three-day test findings in Malaysia form a solid base for the set-up. On top of that, El Diablo has previous positive experiences at this circuit. He has ridden at Sepang four times (in the Moto3 class in 2016, in Moto2 in 2017 and 2018, and in MotoGP in 2019) and never finished outside the top 7. He came close to a podium finish in 2016 and 2018 when he finished fourth and fifth respectively, but he is still gunning for his first podium finish on Malaysian soil.
Franco Morbidelli arrives at the second to last round fired up and eager to find improvements. He showed good pace in some sessions of the Australian GP, and his objective is to replicate those feelings this weekend. He wrapped up the Official MotoGP Sepang Test earlier this year with positive feedback and is determined to build onto that to achieve his goal.
The Italian has positive memories of the Malaysian GPs in the Moto2 class in 2016 and 2017 when he secured second and third place respectively. His highest MotoGP finish was with Yamaha in 2019, taking sixth place.
The Sepang International Circuit staged its first Grand Prix in 1999 and has been on the MotoGP calendar ever since, apart from during the global pandemic. The 5.5 km track has a reputation for providing very exciting racing thanks to a mixture of slow and medium to high-speed corners (five left and ten right) and two long straights, the longest measuring 920m. The circuit is also one of the longest tracks of the MotoGP season, which the riders have to negotiate in extremely hot and humid conditions, making for a GP that is extra challenging.
Those who want to refresh their memories of what close racing action at the Malaysian track looks like can watch Lorenzo Daretti and Michael Amara‘s latest video. The dramatic end to their friendly three-lap sprint eRace will certainly entertain MotoGP eSport fans.
