MOTOGP: Marquez leads Vinales in Sepang FP1

MotoGP champion Marc Marquez led the way in first practice for the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang.

The Honda rider was at the top of the order for the majority of the 45 minutes, and set his 2m01.210s after the checkered flag to lead Suzuki's Maverick Vinales by 0.268 seconds.

Times improved throughout the session on a circuit that has been resurfaced and had several corners reprofiled since the field – other than Cal Crutchlow – last visited for pre-season testing in February.

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Overnight rain meant it also took time for the track surface to grip up, and for several damp patches to dry.

With 10 minutes to go, Vinales was on top with a time of 2m01.729s, with the first flying laps having been in the 2m07s and 2m06s range.

Marquez took the benchmark into the 2m04s and then 2m03s, with Vinales then the first to reach 2m02s, 15 minutes in.

Yamaha's Valentino Rossi and Crutchlow also spent time at the top of the order, during riders' second runs, before Marquez set a time of 2m01.900s and then Vinales a 2m01.729s.

With three minutes go to, Marquez moved back to the top with a 2m01.382s lap, and after improving fractionally the next time around, he set his 2m01.210s after the checkered flag was shown.

Marquez's effort was 0.798s slower than the best time of FP1 in 2015, set by his Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa, who is still out injured with his broken collarbone.

After being shuffled down several places, Vinales moved back up to second on his final lap, while Pramac Ducati's Scott Redding improved with each of his last two laps to end the session third fastest, 0.297s slower than Marquez.

Ducati's Andrea Iannone was fourth on his return from the fractured vertebra he sustained at Misano last month.

Rossi was fifth, with his Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo 10th, the Spaniard threatening to move up the order on his final lap before making a mistake in the second sector.

Back with Avintia Ducati after deputising for Iannone, Hector Barbera finished sixth, ahead of Suzuki's Aleix Espargaro, Aspar Ducati's Hector Barbera and Aprilia's Alvaro Bautista.

Australian Grand Prix winner Crutchlow wound up 13th on his LCR Honda, two spots ahead of Iannone's team-mate Andrea Dovizioso, while Marc VDS Honda's Jack Miller was 16th and the only rider to fall, at the final corner after the checkered flag was shown.

Originally on Autosport.com