Title-chasing Bagnaia fastest in opening Malaysia MotoGP practice / Photo: MOHD RASFAN - AFP
-
NASA robot mission aiming to rescue space telescope
-
Asian stocks unable to track Wall St higher, yen holds at 40-year low
-
Mouse-that-roared Paraguay savors World Cup win over Germany
-
'We came from nothing': DR Congo dreams of England World Cup upset
-
Taiwan's ageing seaweed harvesters hope younger women wade in
-
Peruvian political heir Fujimori wins presidency
-
Key Venezuela port opens with US aid, as burials begin
-
What to expect as EU small parcel levy kicks in
-
Ambitious Japan search for answers after World Cup exit
-
Nagelsmann says won't 'run away' after Germany World Cup exit
-
How NATO will try to keep Trump happy at Ankara summit
-
Paraguay coach salutes 'extraordinary' World Cup win over Germany
-
Ultra-wealthy Chinese exile in New York sentenced to 30 years for fraud
-
Japan fans stunned as Brazil end their World Cup dream
-
Years on, families bury 68 Indigenous victims of Guatemala civil war
-
'Powerhouse' Haaland leads by example at World Cup: Norway coach Solbakken
-
'Deliberate' Monaco explosion wounds Ukrainian oligarch
-
Sadness and joy as breakaway Catholic group nears schism
-
Paraguay shock Germany, Brazil advance at World Cup
-
Germany dumped out by Paraguay in seismic World Cup shock
-
'I recognized her ring': identifying Venezuela's dead in a makeshift morgue
-
More than 1,000 drones detected since start of World Cup: FBI
-
Tuchel defensive headache as England ready for DR Congo clash
-
Extreme heat warning issued for World Cup host Kansas City
-
US reopens Venezuela port as quake deaths top 1,700
-
Bloodied but unbowed: Sinner, Djokovic survive Wimbledon scares
-
Coach says Japan getting closer to World Cup glory despite defeat
-
Djokovic battles past Wu in 'challenging' Wimbledon first round
-
NBA Grizzlies deal Morant to Portland: report
-
World Bank drops climate finance targets in renewed action plan
-
Sweden ready for 'game of our lives' in France World Cup clash
-
Ancelotti says never doubted 'suffering' Brazil would score
-
MLS Chicago Fire announce signing of Poland's Lewandowski
-
Venezuela's quake-hit La Guaira port 'operational': US military
-
Tech rebound lifts Dow to record, yen hits 40-year low against dollar
-
Martinelli late show as Brazil down Japan to reach World Cup last 16
-
US Supreme Court rules on dragnet searches of cellphone location data
-
Madueke says he can be England's World Cup game-changer
-
South Korea fans target coach Hong with boos as World Cup squad returns
-
Switzerland returns famed Benin Bronzes to Nigeria
-
Vaughan calls for England change after Stokes bows out with defeat
-
Last-gasp Brazil down Japan to reach World Cup 16
-
Europe's deadly heatwave scorches east, Slovakia hits record
-
Spain confident despite World Cup injury setbacks, says Llorente
-
French Open champ Andreeva sails into Wimbledon second round
-
Martinelli scores in 95th minute to send Brazil into World Cup last 16
-
Shooter in custody dispute kills six at German family shelter
-
US races to reopen Venezuela port as quake deaths top 1,700
-
Sinner survives scare and fall to reach Wimbledon second round
-
Latham hails 'old school' New Zealand after downing England
Title-chasing Bagnaia fastest in opening Malaysia MotoGP practice
Francesco Bagnaia was easily fastest in opening practice for the potentially decisive Malaysian MotoGP at Sepang on Friday, with title rival Jorge Martin sixth.
Spain's Martin is 17 points ahead of Italian defending champion Bagnaia in the title race, with just one race weekend left after Malaysia.
Following torrential rain in the morning at a hot and humid Sepang, riders waited until the last few minutes of the practice session before going for it.
Two-time defending champion Bagnaia fired an early warning shot for Saturday's sprint race and Sunday's grand prix with a leading lap time of 1min 58.795secs on his Ducati.
That was easily ahead of Maverick Vinales in second, 0.743secs behind, with Marco Bezzecchi third.
Pramac Ducati's Martin, who can mathematically clinch his first world title this weekend, was sixth-fastest with a time of 2mins 00.442secs on slower tyres.
Andrea Iannone, on his return after a four-year doping ban, was ninth.
Bagnaia won the grand prix at a wet Buriram in Thailand last week, ahead of Martin, to shave the Spaniard's lead.
The season finale is scheduled for Valencia in a fortnight, but top riders including Martin and Bagnaia have called for the event to be moved because of deadly flooding in that part of Spain.
E.Flores--AT