Francesco Bagnaia Secures Third MotoGP Pole at Malaysian GP Sepang

Francesco Bagnaia, the twice MotoGP champion, secured his third pole position of the 2025 season at the Malaysian Grand Prix held in Sepang, clocking a fastest lap time of 1:57.001. He narrowly edged out Alex Marquez, who qualified second with a time just 0.016 seconds slower, while Franco Morbidelli took third place on the grid. Bagnaia's pole position continues Ducati's strong showing despite the absence of world champion Marc Marquez, who is sidelined due to injury. The qualifying sessions were challenging due to intermittent rain, forcing top contenders like Fermin Aldeguer and Marco Bezzecchi into Q1, with Aldeguer crashing twice but remaining unharmed. Bagnaia expressed cautious optimism about the race conditions, emphasizing the importance of staying calm and adapting to the hot weather during the upcoming race. His pole lap, though impressive, was slightly slower than his own Sepang lap record set the previous year, underscoring both his skill and Ducati's ongoing competitiveness this season.