Pedro Acosta delivered under pressure at Sepang, topping MotoGP Practice with a 1m57.559s after a chaotic late shuffle and brief rainfall.
The Red Bull KTM rider, who had crashed in Turn 2 earlier, recovered strongly to secure top spot by just 0.019s over Johann Zarco.
The session began on a dry surface under heavy cloud cover, but rain flags emerged around the halfway point.
Conditions briefly deteriorated before the sun returned, allowing a flurry of late time attacks that completely reshaped the order.
Zarco’s late flyer put the LCR Honda man temporarily ahead before Acosta reclaimed the top spot with two red sectors in the final minutes.
Jack Miller completed the top three for Pramac Yamaha. Joan Mir placed fourth for Honda HRC, continuing his strong run of form, while Fabio Quartararo secured fifth for Yamaha after briefly leading the timesheets.
Fabio Di Giannantonio and Franco Morbidelli made it a strong session for the VR46 outfit, finishing sixth and seventh, separated by only 0.002s.
Pol Espargaro in eighth, Alex Marquez in ninth, and Alex Rins, despite a late crash, rounded out the top ten to secure automatic Q2 passage.
Among the notable names missing out were Luca Marini (P11), Pecco Bagnaia (P12), Fermin Aldeguer (P13), and Marco Bezzecchi (P15). All will contest Q1 tomorrow in what promises to be a tense fight for the final two Q2 spots.
