Several MotoGP riders have strongly criticised the Sepang track after the asphalt surface began breaking up during Friday's practice sessions at the Malaysian Grand Prix. The Sepang circuit was originally scheduled to be resurfaced ahead of this year's event, but that crucial maintenance work never materialised.
It is widely believed that preparations to host a Formula 1 race in October heavily impacted these plans, while the existing damage to the asphalt was severely worsened by grand prix cars. Throughout Friday's sessions, riders reported chunks of asphalt being flicked up toward them, with the bumps drawing comparisons to a rough motocross track.
Pramac rider Jack Miller bluntly labelled the surface as ruined, while his team-mate Augusto Fernandez, who completed numerous testing laps at Sepang with Yamaha in 2026, noticed a stark deterioration in overall grip levels.
Fernandez stated that grip seems to have significantly decreased, with tyres dropping off rapidly after just one or two laps. Given the circuit's lengthy layout, pushing too hard early in the lap forces riders to pay a heavy penalty in the final sector, leaving engineers with plenty of data to analyze ahead of the next sessions.
KTM youngster Pedro Acosta added that the asphalt appears to worsen year after year, while VR46 rider Fabio Di Giannantonio humorously remarked that competitors might need chest protectors to shield themselves from flying stones and debris during practice starts.
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