Now, here is a wild state of affairs: according to Autosport, the majority of the MotoGP grid is currently dealing with a Sepang International Circuit surface that is literally falling apart beneath them. Delayed resurfacing work has left the tarmac in an absolute disaster state ahead of this weekend's Malaysian Grand Prix, with riders reporting loose pieces of tarmac flying everywhere during Friday's opening two practice sessions. At least one rider has already copped minor bruises from the debris.
Because the venue hosted the opening pre-season test back in February, the grid has a direct comparison for how badly the asphalt has degraded. The entire track was scheduled for a fresh layer this year, but that work had to be pushed back for unforeseen reasons. To make matters worse, the circuit's condition was already scrutinized during the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia earlier this month, and Formula 1 machinery has likely made the crumbling worse.
It's a motocross track now, we need to wear the chest protector,
Honda's Luca Marini didn't hold back when speaking unprompted about the beast of a track, describing almost the entire layout 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." Marini pointed out that while Turn 7 and 8 are spared, every other corner is a disaster compared to last year, warning that riders starting further back need to watch out for flying stones during the opening braking zones.
VR46's Fabio Di Giannantonio, who grabbed fifth in the afternoon session, half-jokingly suggested digging out chest protection gear for the weekend. "It's a motocross track now, we need to wear the chest protector," he noted after catching a barrage of rocks while practicing a start behind another machine.
Not everyone was ready to sound full alarm bells, though. Reigning Malaysian GP winner Alex Marquez of Gresini Racing admitted the surface is borderline in spots, even if he expected worse after hearing Formula 1 drivers talk down the asphalt. While he found it similar to last year, he conceded that three or four points on the circuit are seriously on the limit of being unrideable and unsafe. Ducati's Marc Marquez largely agreed with his brother, noting that while it is definitely time to resurface, the conditions aren't actually worse than they were during the test.
