MotoGP, 2019 Sepang Test: 5 Things We Learned From the Event 

#1 Bagnaia is the rookie to watch out for during the 2019 season

Francesco Bagnaia put on a spectacular show in Sepang

Francesco Bagnaia, the 2018 Moto2 Champion, is only a rookie in the premier class, but he shook the entire motorcycle racing community with a dream performance in Malaysia.

The Italian rider, with a 2018-spec motorcycle, showed tremendous pace on the track, which ensured that he would finish the test session in the second place, less than 0.1 seconds behind the top-man Danilo Petrucci. Moreover, he managed to go under the lap record in the process.

Bagnaia, a product of the VR46 academy, also received praise from his mentor Valentino Rossi regarding his pace.

The prolific Italian said, “He’s always fast in this test and made 1m 58.3s. Considering the small amount of experience I think that we have to keep attention on him.”

Despite the strong show, a modest Bagnaia highlighted that there is a still a lot more to do to challenge the likes of Marc Marquez for the MotoGP title.