Frenchman Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha YZR M 1) will start in pole position at the MotoGP Malaysian Grand Prix after setting the fastest-ever lap at the Sepang circuit.
Quartararo set a new official record of 1:58.576 on Friday and took pole from his fellow Yamaha rider Maverick Vinales on Saturday.
He and Marc Márquez (Repsol Honda RC 213 V) were locked in a close battle for much of the session, with the Spaniard staying close in his slipstream, reports Efe news.
Márquez succumbed to the superiority of his rival and reaped the worst training result of his sports career in MotoGP.
His sports career began with pole position in Sepang, both in 2013 and 2014, and he has previously won twice at the circuit (2014 and 2018).
The Malaysian track has not been particularly good for him in recent years, after second position in 2015 it has gone from bad to worse, fourth in 2016, seventh in 2017 and 2018.
This year he has not been able to move from 11th place and suffered a dramatic crash on Saturday.
The Repsol Honda rider was in a spectacular high-side on his way into Turn 2 while trying to follow his French rival.
Although somewhat stunned, the MotoGP world champion was back on his feet after the smash and was able to hesitantly walk away.
His opponents achieved Yamaha’s first triple in the front line, with the best time for Quartararo, ahead of Maverick Viñales and Franco Morbidelli, all of them below the previous record, which was set by Spaniard Daniel Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC 213 V) at 1: 59.053 in 2015.
The only rider who missed out on the Yamaha success story was Italian Valentino Rossi, who had to settle for sixth place.
He was beaten by Australian Jack Miller, the best from Ducati, and Briton Cal Crutchlow, who was the best from Honda.
The first Suzuki rider in the classification was Spaniard Alex Rins in seventh position, with the first Aprilia in the hands of Aliexpress Espargaró, 14th, and the first KTM with Pol Espargaró at 15th.