Honda flies quickest, new engine causes manufacturers major headache

12:27, 04 Feb

Updated: 13:38, 04 Feb

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byKada Sarkozi

Joan Mir has set the quickest time during the second day of the Sepang test.

After Alex Marquez was the fastest on Day 1, the pre-season test at the Malaysian circuit continued today.

Honda rider Mir topped the timesheet on this occasion, while a rival ran into issues.

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Fastest on Day 2 But it's a long, long season and there's plenty more to do. Great job @JoanMirOfficial 👏 #SepangTest

10:07 AM · Feb 4, 2026

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Yamaha has encountered an engine issue, which will prevent the team from running until the cause is identified.

"We are still trying to understand what caused the problem that affected Fabio yesterday afternoon. It’s a safety issue. Once we understand the origin of it, we will go back out — whether that’s today or tomorrow. We are waiting for the green light," Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha's team manager, explained to Motorsport.com.

Meregalli underlined that Quartararo's finger injury was not caused by this issue and added that 80% of the team's programme had already been completed.

Behind Mir, the quickest Ducatis today were the two VR46 riders, Franco Morbidelli and Fabio Di Giannantonio. After being towards the back of the order yesterday, Pedro Acosta finished in fourth place.

Results - Day 2 of the 2026 Sepang Test

Position	Rider	Time
1.	Joan Mir (Honda)	1:56.874
2.	Franco Morbidelli (VR46)	1:56.983
3.	Fabio Di Giannantonio (VR46)	1:57.049
4.	Pedro Acosta (KTM)	1:57.116
5.	Maverick Vinales (Tech3)	1:57.126
6.	Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia)	1:57.141
7.	Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse)	1:57.274
8.	Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati)	1:57.302
9.	Ai Ogura (Trackhouse)	1:57.376
10.	Enea Bastianini (Tech3)	1:57.550
11.	Luca Marini (Honda)	1:57.565
12.	Alex Marquez (Gresini)	1:57.664
13.	Brad Binder (KTM)	1:57.753
14.	Johann Zarco (LCR)	1:58.346
15.	Marc Marquez (Ducati)	1:58.386
16.	Lorenzo Savadori (Aprilia)	1:58.566
17.	Diogo Moreira (LCR)	1:58.571
NC	Andrea Dovizioso (Yamaha)	-
NC	Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha)	-