Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP

Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP faces a demanding opening day in Sepang

Jack Miller and Augusto Fernandez began the Malaysian Grand Prix weekend in challenging conditions at Sepang, with sweltering heat and high humidity adding to the demands of the technical circuit. Miller showed some encouraging pace across both sessions but was unable to put together a competitive time attack, while Fernandez continued to adapt to the demands of a race weekend in the MotoGP field.

GRAND PRIX OF MALAYSIA

PRACTICE

Sepang (Malaysia), 30th October 2026

16th

JACK MILLER
1'58.208

20th

AUGUSTO FERNANDEZ
1'59.376

Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP completed the opening day of the Malaysian Grand Prix in particularly demanding conditions at Sepang, where high temperatures and humidity made physical endurance an additional challenge for both riders. The circuit's combination of technical corners and two long straights places a strong emphasis on acceleration and outright speed, presenting a demanding test for the YZR-M1 and giving the team several areas to work on as the weekend progresses.

Jack Miller worked throughout the day to improve the bike's setup, showing encouraging pace over several laps in both the morning and afternoon sessions. However, he struggled to find the consistency needed to be competitive during the time attack. His final attempt was also interrupted by yellow flags, forcing him to abort the lap and leaving him unable to fully demonstrate his potential over a single lap.

For Augusto Fernandez, Friday provided another valuable opportunity to build experience with Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP and adapt to the specific demands of competing in the premier class. While his role as Yamaha's test and development rider gives him extensive knowledge of the YZR-M1, the intensity of a race weekend, with 20 of the world's fastest riders competing at the limit, presents a different set of challenges. Fernandez continued to work closely with the team to gather information and refine the approach needed to make progress throughout the weekend, despite the demanding conditions.

With two days of action still ahead, the team will now analyse the data collected and work to improve the overall package ahead of Saturday's qualifying sessions and Sprint.

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JACK MILLER
Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP Rider

Honestly, it’s been a frustrating Friday. The biggest issue is the lack of grip. The track is definitely in worse condition than when we were here for the test in February, and that makes an already difficult job even harder. Sepang is always a challenge for us because of the two long straights, where we lose out, so we’ve been working hard to find a setup that helps us make the most of the corners. We tried everything we had today and ended up with two very similar lap times, but at the moment we still need to find more speed. We’ll keep working and give it our maximum tomorrow. A bit of rain wouldn’t hurt, either, although it looks like it might be too little, too late.

The frustrating thing is that when everything comes together on a track like this, riding a MotoGP bike is the best feeling in the world. Sepang has such a variety of corners, from fast entries where you have very little load on the front to heavy braking zones, tight turns and quick changes of direction. When you get your body position right, manage those transitions and everything flows, it feels incredible. When it doesn’t come together, as it hasn’t today, it’s frustrating because you know how good it can feel. We’ll keep working to find that feeling again tomorrow.

AUGUSTO FERNANDEZ
Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP Rider

Overall, I felt better today, although I wasn’t able to put together a clean final lap in the time attack. I tried to follow Fabio because I look at him as a reference, and it helped me get up to speed and understand where the other Yamaha riders are. I made a mistake during my time attack, so I know there is still a little more to find, but I’m happy because I don’t feel too far away from them.

Race pace is another matter, of course, because putting together one fast lap is very different from maintaining that level over a full race. Physically, the heat is demanding, and I still need to improve my concentration and stay mentally calm when pushing at the limit over several consecutive laps. That’s what I’m working on now: getting more laps in, building my rhythm and improving step by step.

As for the track conditions, I think they are worse than during the test. Grip seems to have decreased, and the tyres are dropping off significantly after just one or two laps. With such a long lap, if you push too hard early on, you can pay for it in the final sector. It feels like the lack of grip is affecting the whole circuit, so we’ll have to keep working and see how conditions develop tomorrow.