The temperature rose𓆏 in Malaysia, and not just because of the🗹 next title shot for Pedro Acosta piling pressure on Tony Arbolino.

The hot, sticky conditions continued to become♔ more difficult, leading to the best laps being set early in qualifying for the Moto2 Malaysian grand prix, round eighteen of the championship.

The Speed Up rider’s best, a 2m 05.288s lap, cam🍸e on just his second run aro💫und the track and first flying lap. Timed to perfection, the Boscoscuro rider held a gap of over half a second over the rest to claim his third consecutive pole position.

• Mal🔜aysian Moto𒈔2 Grand Prix, Sepang - Friday Practice Results
• Marc Marquez: “Could’ve been selfish, got paid a fortune, but I stepped aܫside”
• The financial𒆙 decisions at the heart 🐬of Honda’s big rider choice

Celestino Vietti was the best of the rest, 0.502s behind. The Fantic rider crashed out late on pushing on to try and better his time and 🌌get closer🤪 to the Spaniard.

The final front row slot went to Manuel Gonzalez (Correos Prepago yamaha VR4𓃲6 Team) his first time there since the Indonesian round, showing the #18 is back to his be🍌st.

Aron Canet was fourth faste🧸st but a spill from his Pons bike at turn four while Vietti was already in the gr🌜avel is expected to pick up a penalty. The incident was already under investigation before the conclusion of the session.

Marcos Ramirez continued his upturn in form 💞with the fifth best time for American racing.

Acosta’s title shot to launch from sixth.

Pedro Acosta had not bee﷽n firing ahead൩ on his arrival in Sepang, maybe understandable considering his last appearance at the track saw him convert eighth on the grid to a DNF.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider still holds all the cards, able to finish as low as fourth even if Tony Arbolino goes on to win the♊ race.

Arboli🧔no himself made hard work of getting in through, with his sixth vis🧸it to Q1 needed to get to the second session for the chance of a grid advantage.

A determined run on the Elf Marc VDS bike saw him become one of thꦿe last to improve, moving into seventh just behind Acosta.The Italian can take heart from his performance at Sepang in 2022, where h🍎e converted second on the grid to a win.

Jake Dixon also made his inde GasGas Aspar work hard to move up from twelfth to eighth as the clock♈ ticked down.

Somkiat Chantra 🍨plꦏaced ninth for Idemitsu Team Honda, well ahead of his teammate Ai Ogura ,who was a lacklustre 13th. Joe Roberts progressed through Q1 to complete the top ten.

Sam Lowes was pushed back to eleventh on the second Marc VDS bike, with Sergio Garcia the best of the rookies for Pons W🀅egow Los 40 in twelfth.

Alonso Lopez again coul🧜dn’t do with the Boscoscuro what his pole-sitting teamate managed, leaving him down in 15th.

A crash ꦡfor Filip Salac saw him unable 𓆉to progress past 18th for Gresini.

What happened in Q1?

Arbolino eased through with the second fastest time o♑f the weekend. The Italian was joined in Q2 by Albert Arenas, Taiga Hada (17th) and Joe Roberts.

Dennis Foggia was in a position to climb out of fifth for Italtrans, but found himself behind his teammat🍌e Joe Roberts, who pulled outღ ahead as the rider sat in fourth, unwilling to give him the help into Q2 to take his place.

Zonta van den Goorbergh fell in the session, leaving him sixth, for 20th on the gri💞d.

🍰Rory Sk🗹inner continued his difficult transition from BSB with American Racing in 26th.

Injuries and replacements

Izan Guevara suffered a nasty fall, right at the start of P3ꦇ, brining out the red flag. The Aspar rider left the track on a stretcher, ho🦩lding his arm and was taken to the medical centre for a check-up.

Tཧhe Spaniard lined up for Q1, placing eleventh in the session for 25th.

The same sess🔜ion saw a second red flag, to repair the air fence after Darryn Binder ended up sending his Kalex flying into it at turn one. The South African was sent to the medical centre for checks on his right hand after he barrel rolled through the gravel alongside his bike.

Binder did not return for qualifying.

Alberto Surra is t🐓he only regular rider out in Malaysia. He is replaced by Sean Dylan Kelly (27th) at the Forward Team.

There arꦬe two additional wildcard riders on the grid for home grand Prix rides. Debutant Helmi Azman (31st) and Azroy ﷽Anuar (29th) are the extra riders,  both for Petronas MIE Racing RW.