Red Bull KTM Tech3 was back on track on Friday morning for the third and final day of Sepang Test. Enea Bastianini and Maverick Viñales successfully completed their three day-program, as we progressively saw them both finding their own ways on the RC16 after some intense background work being done at the Sepang International Circuit.
Malaysia MotoGP™ Test
That background work continued for Maverick Viñales on Friday morning, as he aimed to finalize his testing program, to have a clearer understanding of the RC16 machine. Out on track at around 10:30 am as per the previous days, the main targets of the day were clearing to continue working on the bike set up, in addition to trying a new saddle. There was not much else to test, with the focus being to adapt to this new machine, as per the last couple of days. The Spaniard found a way to reach a 1’58.106, his fastest lap of the test at that time, to sit in 18th in the timesheets at the lunch break after 31 laps of hardwork under the heat. A bit before 4pm, we saw riders progressively return on track for the two final hours on track in Sepang. The Spaniard tried to push a bit more towards the end of the day with a final sequence of runs, and we saw him improve to 1'57.865 in the final seconds of the day, to take 16th of the timesheets at the end of play of day 3. Positive three days overall for Top Gun, who will now be looking forward to the next test in Buriram to keep the progress going.
Enea Bastianini looked a bit more positive at the end of play of day 2 after the Italian found some directions to ride a bit smoother his new machine. His lap times significantly improved towards the end of Thursday, and he looked to continue working in that direction on the final day. He was just at the doors of the 1’57 before the lunch break, with a fastest lap in 1’58.093 after 24 laps done during the morning session. For the #23, there were no special new parts to try, with the main target being the same as his teammate, doing that adaptation work. He made some progress today, but we know the adaptation to a new bike is always a long process, which we’ll be looking forward to continuing as we return to testing next week in Buriram. The Italian closed the day with a fastest in 1'58.011, taking 18th of the timesheets.
Next for the Red Bull KTM Tech3 team, an exciting stop in Bangkok for the 2025 MotoGP™ season launch on Sunday 9th of February, and then we will head directly to Buriram in Thailand for the Buriram Test on February 13-14, the last two days of test before the season start at the end of the month.
MAVERICK VIÑALES: "I feel happy and positive about these three days spent in Sepang. Towards the end of today, our setup was starting to get good. I finally started to feel much better at the braking which is where I had been struggling the most on day 1 and 2, so I am already looking forward to Buriram, because I need the two more days of test coming next week to continue my progress. As we mentioned already, the target of this test was to learn the bike, and understand it well. Overall, this bike has really strong points for me, and some others, like braking, I need to figure out how to do it well. Brad Binder and Pedro Acosta can do it well, so that means it is not impossible, and I will do everything to find a way!"
ENEA BASTIANINI: "We have made progress over the last three days, but, I keep saying it, everything is very different and we need to work more. We tried different things on the bike, but for me there were not any major changes. At the moment, I just really need to understand how to exploit this bike, and find its strengths. I like the braking a lot, there are some bumps, but we can improve it. However, I have also been struggling in the fast corners in general, feeling some vibrations, and this is where we have lost time mostly. We have time, and we have two more days of testing in Buriram coming next week."
NICOLAS GOYON, Team Manager: "We have just completed the first test of the 2025 MotoGP season here in Sepang, which always marks the start of a new campaign. It has been, as always, three intensive days, with a lot of time on track, so I would like to start with thanking both Enea Bastianini and Maverick Viñales for their intensive work. The speed and the final position in the timesheets is not what they expected, but they relentlessly worked, kept doing laps, and progressively improved their lap times. It is never easy to change bikes, it is a long adaptation process, but there are in it. They both have the right mentality, which is keep working, keep doing that background work to learn the RC16, and I am sure they will be fast on this bike soon. I would like to say a huge thank you to the team and the mechanics who have worked crazy hours these last days. We will have a few days off before heading to the key and final Buriram Test, the last chance to get ready before the season starts later this month."
DAY 3 SESSION RESULTS
1. Alex Marquez (SPA), Gresini Racing MotoGP, 1'56.493
2. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA), Ducati Lenovo Team, +0.007
3. Fabio Quartararo (FRA), Yamaha MotoGP Team, +0.251
16. Maverick Viñales (SPA), Red Bull KTM Tech3, +1.372
18. Enea Bastianini (ITA), Red Bull KTM Tech3, +1.518
TRACK RECORDS
All Time Record: 2024 - F. Bagnaia (ITA) - 1'56.337, 171.5 km/h
Best Race Lap: 2023 - M. Marquez (SPA) - 1'58.979, 167.7 km/h
Best Pole: 2024 - F. Bagnaia (ITA) - 1'56.337, 171.5 km/h
Top Speed: 2025 - P. Acosta (SPA) - 342.8 km/h
