Fabio Quartararo picked up where he left off from the 2019 MotoGP season as he and Petronas SRT team-mate Franco Morbidelli kicked off 2020 in style by locking out the top two positions on the first day of testing at Sepang.
A year on from the Frenchman making his debut for what would be a stellar rookie campaign, Quartararo – a pole sitter for the Malaysian MotoGP in October – was back in fine fettle once more as one of only two riders to dip below 1m 59s.
His 1m 58.945s lap was enough to just keep team-mate Morbidelli at bay by less than a tenth, though it was achieved on the 2019 specification M1 rather than the 2020 variant he will ride this season.
Quartararo hit the front midway through the day but a heavy rain shower with just over three hours to go disrupted track action for some time ahead of a busy final hour. Nonetheless, no rider could get close the Petronas SRT riders.
With the top 14 riders covered by just a second, there is also encouragement from the fact all six manufacturers were represented in the top eight.
Alex Rins puts the new-look Suzuki GSX-RR third quickest, ahead of top Honda rider Cal Crutchlow and Jack Miller on the Pramac Ducati. Maverick Vinales was sixth best on the 2020 specification Yamaha M1, with Aleix Espargaro making a strong impression on the new Aprilia RS-GP to end up just ahead of his KTM riding brother Pol Espargaro.
Elsewhere, the Repsol Honda team endured a quiet day with Marc Marquez easing himself into competition with the 12th best time, completing just 37 laps all day. His team-mate and brother Alex Marquez slotted in just behind him in 13th.
Starting what could be his final season in MotoGP, Valentino Rossi was 10th best on the Yamaha, just ahead of top factory Ducati rider Andrea Dovizioso.
The test also marked the first outing for Johann Zarco on Ducati machinery, the Frenchman turning his first laps as an Avintia rider. He set the 19th best time, ahead of KTM rookies Iker Lecuona and Brad Binder.
2020 Sepang MotoGP Testing - RESULTS [Day 1/3]
| Official Sepang MotoGP Test - Results [Day 1/3] | ||||
| Pos | Rider | Nat. | Team | Times |
| 1 | Fabio Quartararo | FRA | Petronas SRT Yamaha | 1m 58.945 |
| 2 | Franco Morbidelli | ITA | Petronas SRT Yamaha | 1m 58.996 |
| 3 | Alex Rins | ESP | Team Suzuki Ecstar | 1m 59.195 |
| 4 | Cal Crutchlow | GBR | LCR Honda | 1m 59.234 |
| 5 | Jack Miller | AUS | Pramac Ducati | 1m 59.236 |
| 6 | Maverick Vinales | ESP | Yamaha Factory Racing | 1m 59.367 |
| 7 | Aleix Espargaro | ESP | Aprilia Racing Gresini | 1m 59.427 |
| 8 | Pol Espargaro | ESP | Red Bull KTM Factory | 1m 59.536 |
| 9 | Joan Mir | ESP | Team Suzuki Ecstar | 1m 59.568 |
| 10 | Valentino Rossi | ITA | Yamaha Factory Racing | 1m 59.569 |
| 11 | Andrea Dovizioso | ITA | Ducati Team | 1m 59.666 |
| 12 | Marc Marquez | ESP | Repsol Honda Team | 1m 59.676 |
| 13 | Alex Marquez | ESP | Repsol Honda Team | 1m 59.918 |
| 14 | Danilo Petrucci | ITA | Ducati Team | 1m 59.939 |
| 15 | Dani Pedrosa | ESP | Red Bull KTM Factory | 2m 00.017 |
| 16 | Miguel Oliveira | POR | Red Bull KTM Tech 3 | 2m 00.131 |
| 17 | Francesco Bagnaia | ITA | Pramac Ducati | 2m 00.136 |
| 18 | Sylvain Guintoli | FRA | Team Suzuki Ecstar | 2m 00.371 |
| 19 | Johann Zarco | FRA | Avintia Ducati | 2m 00.464 |
| 20 | Iker Lecuona | ESP | Red Bull KTM Tech 3 | 2m 00.511 |
| 21 | Brad Binder | RSA | Red Bull KTM Factory | 2m 00.519 |
| 22 | Tito Rabat | ESP | Avintia Ducati | 2m 00.750 |
| 23 | Takaaki Nakagami | JPN | LCR Honda | 2m 00.815 |
| 24 | Yamaha Test Rider 1 | - | Yamaha Factory Racing | 2m 01.080 |
| 25 | Yamaha Test Rider 2 | - | Yamaha Factory Racing | 2m 01.744 |
| 26 | Lorenzo Savadori | ITA | Aprilia Racing Gresini | 2m 03.150 |
| - | Bradley Smith | GBR | Aprilia Racing Gresini | |
| - | Michele Pirro | ITA | Ducati Team | - |
| - | Mika Kallio | FIN | Red Bull KTM Factory | - |
| - | Takuya Tsuda | JPN | Team Suzuki Ecstar | - |
| - | Yamaha Test Rider 3 | - | Yamaha Factory Racing | - |
