The majority of the MotoGP grid has reported severe asphalt deterioration at the Sepang International Circuit ahead of this weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix.
Several riders revealed being struck by loose pieces of tarmac during the opening two practice sessions on Friday, with at least one rider suffering minor bruises as a result.
With Sepang having hosted the first pre-season test of the season in February, riders were able to directly compare how the asphalt has changed in the last minutes, with images showing the surface disintegrating in several areas.
The entire track was due to be resurfaced this year in time for the MotoGP race, but the work had to be delayed because of unforeseen reasons. The condition of the circuit had already come under scrutiny during the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia earlier this month, with Formula 1 cars likely to have further aggravated the problem.
Honda’s Luca Marini spoke unprompted about the track surface, describing almost the entire circuit as being in poor condition.
“The condition is really difficult, really strange,” he said. “The tarmac is completely destroyed, so we just need to find a way to survive better.
“They needed to resurface and they didn’t do it. It was already a disaster last year, especially Turn 14 and Turn 2. Now every corner is a disaster, apart from Turn 7 and 8.”
Luca Marini, Honda HRC
Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / Getty Images
Asked if he was worried about flying debris causing problems at the start, Marini replied: “In every moment, something can happen. We just need to be careful and survive the condition, because it’s the same for everybody.
“But in the start, in the first braking, [expect] a lot of stones for the guys behind. So it’s better to start in the front.”
VR46’s Fabio Di Giannantonio, who finished fifth in the afternoon session, half-jokingly suggested that riders needed to wear chest protection to guard against flying debris.
“It’s a motocross track now, we need to wear the chest protector. A lot of rocks were coming from the asphalt. I got so many rocks when I did the practice start behind a guy,” he said.
“It’s never good when they do these kinds of things on the asphalt, when they [bikes] scratch the asphalt at the end. For us, with bikes, it’s never good. But it is what it is, so I don’t know what we can do from now to tomorrow.”
Reigning Malaysian GP winner Alex Marquez played down the extent of the deterioration compared to last year, but admitted that conditions were borderline in several sections.
Alex Marquez, Gresini Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / Getty Images
“I was expecting worse because many drivers from Formula 1 spoke really badly about the asphalt. It’s true that last year they said to us that there will be [new] asphalt. It’s not like this. So hopefully for next year, it will be done.
“For me, [the surface was] the same as last year. But it’s true that three, four points are really on the limit – really on the limit of being unrideable and unsafe.
“So it’s like it is. We will not have any solution for this weekend. So I will not complain. We just try to adapt to the things.”
Ducati’s Marc Marquez largely echoed his brother’s opinion, but stopped short of describing the conditions as dangerous.
“I don’t feel a big difference compared to the test, honestly speaking. It’s time to resurface, as we said last year already, but it’s not worse than the test,” he said.
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