Guevara & Ferrández Push to P4 and P17 in Humid Sepang Friday Practice
BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2's Izan Guevara and Alberto Ferrández started the Grand Prix of Malaysia weekend with perfectly dry but very humid riding conditions for the Friday sessions. They ended the Practice in P4 and P17 and showed good pace.
GRAND PRIX OF MALAYSIA
PRACTICE
Sepang (Malaysia), 30th October 2026
4th
IZAN GUEVARA 2'03.971 / 14 LAPS
17th
ALBERTO FERRANDEZ 2'04.766 / 13 LAPS
BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2's Izan Guevara and Alberto Ferrández got a taste of the Sepang International Circuit's fast yet technical nature in both of the dry but humid Grand Prix of Malaysia Friday sessions. Guevara showed early form and ended the day in 4th. Rookie Ferrández made solid improvement and wrapped up the day in 17th place.
Guevara finished the morning session in P1, 0.563s clear of the rest of the field, sending a clear message that he intends to be a key protagonist again this weekend. His first flying lap of the Practice session that was not hampered by yellow flags put him in third place. He then focused on race pace before joining the time attack action in the final stages. A 2'03.971s set on lap 12/14, had him rank P4, 0.234s from first, successfully extending his 100% Q2 promotion rate.
Ferrández used FP1 to get to know the – for him new – Sepang track and completed the session in P17. He was pleased to have another dry session in the afternoon, allowing him to make more valuable kilometres around the long and challenging track. With a little help of his teammate showing him the racing lines. The number 54 set a 2'04.766s best time on lap 11/13, putting him in P17 in the Friday afternoon classifications. He will take part in tomorrow's Q1.
Moto2 track action resumes on Saturday with FP2 taking place from 09:25-09:55 (GMT+8), before qualifying gets underway from 13:40-14:20.
"Today has been very demanding, both physically and in terms of the track conditions. It's always hot and humid here, and after the heavy rain yesterday, there is still a lot of moisture coming out of the asphalt. But overall, I feel comfortable on the bike.
"I'm a little frustrated, though, because just like in Australia, I had a yellow flag interrupt my fastest lap. It's the second time this has happened, and it's disappointing when you feel you have a really good lap in your hands but can't finish it. The positive thing is that, even without being able to put everything together, I feel we have the pace to be competitive. Here, the first lap is particularly important because the tyre performance drops a little on the second try, so we need to make the most of that first opportunity. Hopefully, tomorrow we'll have a bit more luck and a clear lap.
"The heat is noticeable when you're riding, but when I feel comfortable on the bike, I don't get too tired. The hardest part is coming back into the garage, when you suddenly feel all the heat at once. You try not to think about it too much and just focus on riding.
"I feel strong heading into qualifying. Sepang is a long lap, and many things can happen, especially with the slipstream playing such an important role on the straights. The wind can also make a difference. But I feel competitive even when riding alone, and I think I have the pace to put together a very good lap. I don't know if that will be enough for pole position, but I'll fight for it. Starting on the front row would be a very good result, especially here, where the first corners are tight and position can make a big difference."
ALBERTO FERRANDEZ BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2 Rider
"It's been a very positive day, and I'm really happy with how things went. It was my first time at Sepang, a long and wide circuit that isn't easy to learn, but I managed to get up to speed quickly and be competitive in the Practice.
"It was a shame that a yellow flag interrupted a very good lap on my first tyre, which could have taken me straight into Q2. With the second tyre, I ran wide in the first sector and couldn't put together a perfect lap. Even so, we finished just 0.031s outside the top 14, and a few tenths would have made the difference between being around fifth or sixth and where we are now, so I'm really happy with our performance.
"Everyone is very close, so tomorrow it will be important to put all the sectors together and deliver a strong lap. We also made some changes to the bike today, and they worked well. We'll keep working in the same direction and try to take another step forward tomorrow."
BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2 Rider
"I'm a little frustrated, though, because just like in Australia, I had a yellow flag interrupt my fastest lap. It's the second time this has happened, and it's disappointing when you feel you have a really good lap in your hands but can't finish it. The positive thing is that, even without being able to put everything together, I feel we have the pace to be competitive. Here, the first lap is particularly important because the tyre performance drops a little on the second try, so we need to make the most of that first opportunity. Hopefully, tomorrow we'll have a bit more luck and a clear lap.
"The heat is noticeable when you're riding, but when I feel comfortable on the bike, I don't get too tired. The hardest part is coming back into the garage, when you suddenly feel all the heat at once. You try not to think about it too much and just focus on riding.
"I feel strong heading into qualifying. Sepang is a long lap, and many things can happen, especially with the slipstream playing such an important role on the straights. The wind can also make a difference. But I feel competitive even when riding alone, and I think I have the pace to put together a very good lap. I don't know if that will be enough for pole position, but I'll fight for it. Starting on the front row would be a very good result, especially here, where the first corners are tight and position can make a big difference."