Aprilia Racing
An outstanding Saturday for Aprilia Racing at the Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit. Marco Bezzecchi delivered a flawless performance, dominating every session on Saturday. He was fastest in FP2 and then took pole position with a new all-time lap record of 1:28.832. No one had ever been that quick at Mandalika. It was the Italian rider’s third pole position of the season, following those at Austria and Misano. For Aprilia Racing, it was the team’s first pole at the Indonesian circuit and the twelfth in its top-class history. In the sprint, despite a less-than-perfect start that saw him drop to sixth at the end of the opening lap, Bezzecchi mounted a remarkable comeback, sealing victory with a decisive last-lap overtake, his second sprint win after Misano.
Raúl Fernández also delivered a Saturday to remember for the Trackhouse MotoGP Team – third in qualifying, earning his first front row of the season, and third at the finish in the sprint, securing his first MotoGP podium.
MARCO BEZZECCHI
“It was a fantastic sprint, and I’m delighted. The start wasn’t ideal; I dropped several positions, but I knew I was quick. I lost a bit of time during my comeback and thought it wouldn’t be possible to compete for the win. Honestly, when I passed Fernández, I didn’t think I could catch Aldeguer, but after a couple of laps, I saw I was closing in and kept on pushing until the finish.”
FABIANO STERLACCHINI
“It was a very positive Saturday. The aim was definitely to give our best, as both the RS-GP25 and Marco demonstrated incredible speed, and in qualifying, Marco was truly exceptional. The race performance was initially affected by a less-than-ideal start and some traffic, but even then, Marco gave his all and maximised our bike’s potential. The outstanding performance by Raúl and the Trackhouse MotoGP Team proved this. They did a fantastic job, securing a front-row start in qualifying and a podium in the sprint. We’re thrilled – both riders were excellent – but the weekend isn’t over yet. On Sunday, we aim to finish the job with another strong race.”
Ducati Lenovo
The Ducati Lenovo Team has clinched the Teams’ World Championship title at the end of the eighteenth Sprint of the season at the Mandalika Circuit, giving Ducati their third Triple Crown. Marc Márquez finished the race in sixth place, while Francesco Bagnaia was fourteenth at the flag.
Ninth on the starting grid, Márquez was given a long-lap penalty after a coming together with Rins on the opening lap. From thirteenth place, Marc put together a good comeback as he made his way up to sixth. Bagnaia, sixteenth in qualifying, had a challenging time in the 13-lap encounter to finish fourteenth.
The Ducati Lenovo Team will be back in action tomorrow morning at 10:40 local time (GMT +8) for the warm-up, followed by the Grand Prix of Indonesia, which will be contested over a 27-lap distance from 15:00.
Marc Márquez (#93 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 6th
“The situation is surely a combination of factors that at the moment is not allowing us to be as quick as we’d like. The circuit layout doesn’t have hard braking points, which is one of our strongest aspects, and the unusual grip is preventing us from fully exploiting the power of the Ducati on corner exit. We need to continue working both riding- and set-up-wise, while studying Fermín Aldeguer’s performance to try to make a step forward. I don’t expect miracles this weekend – I think we’re in for a top five to seven.”
Francesco Bagnaia (#63 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 14th
“After yesterday, I knew it was going to be a difficult Saturday. Unfortunately, the feeling is not the same as Motegi, but closer to the one I experienced in Misano. I ended up struggling again with the bike, both on the straight and under braking, and the only thing I could do was bring it home. It’s quite a frustrating situation, but the bright side is that I showed my speed in Japan. Now we need to keep working and try to find that feeling again, otherwise it’s going to be another challenging race.”
Monster Energy Yamaha
The 13-lap Sprint at the Mandalika International Circuit was a rough battlefield in the opening laps. Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Álex Rins and Fabio Quartararo both fell back early on. But with the Indonesian fans having travelled to the Mandalika track in full force to support them, the teammates were determined to at least put on a good show. Rins went on to salvage 13th place while Quartararo’s hard work was left unrewarded due to an unlucky crash on the last lap. Following a post-Sprint 8-second penalty for Luca Marini, Rins moved up to 12th in the revised classifications.
Rins had a good start from P4 on the grid and settled into fifth place in the early stages of the first lap, but contact with Marc Márquez amidst the bustle forced Rins to run wide. The incident effectively ended the number 42’s chances of scoring points in the Sprint, but he still put his head down. Shadowing his teammate, the Spaniard gradually moved up the order, riding from P19 to P15. While behind Jack Miller, Rins and Quartararo had a brief battle. The friendly scrap ended in Rins losing time. As Johann Zarco crashed out, Rins was in 14th chasing the other Yamaha riders. When also Quartararo fell victim to the Mandalika track on the final lap, Rins was riding closely behind Miller again but wrapped up the Sprint in 13th position, 16.226s from first.
Quartararo had a less than desirable start from P8 and found himself at the end of the pack halfway through the first lap. But the Frenchman was still keen to put up a fight and quickly wrestled his way past Enea Bastianini and Francesco Bagnaia. With Pedro Acosta crashing on lap 5, the Yamaha man was up in 14th by the time he had closed the gap to Miller. A brief battle with his chasing teammate further spurred Quartararo on to overtake Miller on lap 7 and Zarco on lap 9. Hunting down the group ahead of him, consisting of five riders fighting for seventh place, Quartararo was closing in and keen to challenge Miguel Oliveira for a last-lap battle when a crash in Turn 2 ended his run.
After today’s results, Quartararo is now in 9th place in the overall standings with 149 points, and Rins holds 19th position with 45 points. Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP are 6th in the team championship with 194 points, and Yamaha remain in 5th position in the constructor championship with 181 points.
The team will be back in action tomorrow for Warm Up, held from 10:40-10:50 GMT +8, and the 27-lap Race, which starts at 15:00.
Massimo Meregalli
Team Director, Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP
“We had higher hopes for this Sprint. So far, Álex especially had a very positive weekend. He did a good job qualifying in P4, his best starting position of the season. However, in the Sprint, he was unlucky to be pushed wide by another rider on the opening lap from a positive fifth place. It ended his hopes of battling at the front, but he still showed good fighting spirit today. Fabio similarly found himself at the end of the pack. He was catching up fast though. It’s a shame that he crashed on the final lap, but the main thing is that he is okay and that tomorrow we can have another go – hopefully with a bit more luck on our side. Completing 27 laps in this heat tomorrow will be a real test of endurance for the riders. The team will work hard to help the riders prepare for it and make them feel as comfortable as possible during this survival-of-the-fittest challenge.”
Álex Rins
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Rider
“It was unbelievable in qualifying. I’m honestly super happy, because it’s been a long time since I felt like this on the bike. I’m feeling quite good. Already in Motegi we made a step forward, and at this track we have a mix of fast and slow corners. It’s quite technical as a rider. I was able to be strong, and I really enjoyed riding. We did a really great lap time.
“My start in the Sprint was great. I was there at the front. At first, I was angry with Marc because he destroyed my race, but looking at the footage, I think he just may not have been able to stop the bike because Marini was ahead of him. This time it happened to me, tomorrow it could happen to him, that’s part of racing. Tomorrow, we have another opportunity. It’s going to be more challenging than today, though, because we need more time to warm the medium rear tyre, but our pace is not bad. Still, I am happy about today and the work we are doing.”
Fabio Quartararo
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Rider
“The start was pretty strange: I had a slip of the clutch, then I touched with Bastianini, and I was completely last. I just tried to recover and tried to do my best, but I’m not having the best feeling on the bike all weekend. I can’t ride like I usually do. The bike is still quite unpredictable with any of these tyres. But we will try to make it work for tomorrow, try to set a good pace, and do a better Race.”
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
The MotoGP paddock drifted west and south from Japan and filled the Mandalika International Circuit, one of the newest venues on the calendar. The 4.3km layout with 17 corners echoed to MotoGP engines for the fourth time and was hot, humid and tough for man, machine and rubber.
On Friday Pedro Acosta quickly found a feeling for the asphalt and his P3 in Practice sent him directly through to Q2 for Saturday. Brad Binder and Enea Bastianini, who suffered a small tumbles on Friday, went into Q1, as well as Maverick Viñales who valiantly tried to adapt to the course’s changes of direction with his left shoulder.
Through Saturday’s qualification Acosta’s best flying lap was good enough for P5, the second row and was just 0.5 from Pole Position. The Q1 and Q2 sessions ended with Binder in P15, Bastianini P17 and Viñales in P20: Maverick then making the tough call to withdraw from the Grand Prix due to the difficulty of his physical condition. The other three riders swiftly turned their attention to the 13-lap Sprint and also with an eye on settings and tire management options for the longer GP on Sunday.
Acosta started with all guns firing and surged into 2nd position by lap two. The Spaniard then tucked the front end at the start of lap five and went into the gravel. He was able to recover the #37 KTM RC16 but was then forced to retire. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing were then carefully charting the progress of Binder who worked his way up to P8. The South African had a close fight with four other riders and eventually crossed the line in P11 and was promoted to P10. Bastianini crashed out while filtering through the last sector of lap four and after he had contact with another rider deep in the pack.
MotoGP dashes up to speed from 15.00 local time (09.00 CEST) for 27 laps on Sunday.
Brad Binder, 15th in qualification, 10th in the Sprint: “A really tricky weekend so far in general. I tried my best to recover some positions and had a great start but then as the tire started to drop I struggled more. We’ll try again tomorrow. The medium tire will be better for the long run. It should be pretty good. We just need to try and figure out how to make more time at this track by flowing a bit more.”
Pedro Acosta, 5th in qualification, DNF in the Sprint: “All the mistakes hurt! Let’s move into tomorrow because we will have more possibilities with the medium tire. We know the limitations of our bike but the crash was strange because I did the same as I had the lap before. I was making a good rhythm, not bad and I was catching the leader. We have to evaluate a bit more with the team but, anyway, with the harder tire I’m quite optimistic for tomorrow.”
Enea Bastianini, 17th in qualification, DNF in the Sprint: “Tough day. Qualifying was complicated but usually my pace in the race is a bit better but I crashed after contact. I was a bit lucky because it was a fast corner. I have some pain but nothing too bad. For tomorrow I hope for better, I think my pace can be better but the grip is low here and it’s hard to put temperature into the tire. We’ll see if we can find something to help me in the first two-three laps. We’ll see.”
Maverick Viñales, 20th in qualification, DNS in the Sprint: “Sometimes the hardest decision is the smartest one. Together with the team we decided to stop and focus fully on recovery as my shoulder still needs more time. Thanks to everyone for the support and understanding.”
Aki Ajo, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: “The positives involve Pedro’s high and consistent performance and pace starting from yesterday. It was really promising for the Sprint and the race and it was just a shame we could not bring it to the finish today. Anyway, it looks good for tomorrow and with the harder rear tire we might be able to fight for top positions again. P10 is not what we or Brad are looking for but, in any case, more solid work and to finish the race means more consistency and that’s what we need as a base for improvement. Unfortunately Enea’s race was short but tomorrow we have another chance tomorrow and, as usual, he can be very strong over the longer distance. Hopefully with a good start and first laps he can bring the bike higher. For Maverick this track was more physical than we expected and also the recovery has been slower than we thought so finally there was a decision to focus more on recovery off the bike.”
Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing
The Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team ended the Sprint at the Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia with both riders securing Top10 finishes. On a demanding track like Mandalika, Franco Morbidelli crossed the line in eighth place, followed closely by Fabio Di Giannantonio in ninth.
Morbidelli started from the fifth row (1:29.718) after a tough qualifying, narrowly missing the Q2. Starting thirteenth on the grid, Franco immediately got into the fight for the Top10, making his way up to finish in eighth place. The #21 rider now sits fifth in the World Standings with 198 points.
After securing a spot in Q2, Di Giannantonio qualified in eleventh position (1:29.884). Starting from the fourth row, Fabio began his comeback and joined the battle for the Top 10, eventually crossing the line in ninth. The #49 rider currently holds seventh place in the World Standings with 183 points.
The Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia will end tomorrow with the main race, which will start at 3:00 p.m. (local time, +6 CET). The Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team will hit the track in the special livery unveiled in Jakarta – a tribute to Indonesia, where the team always feels right at home.
Fabio Di Giannantonio – 49
“I am happy with the steps we made from this morning. The bike was working really well; I think we had the pace to be a little further in terms of places. The grip level of this track is low, so we changed a little bit the balance of bike to go on the right direction when the grip is increasing on the rear. We must be happy, because we have the potential to do a good job. For tomorrow, my goal is to keep improving and being further.”
Franco Morbidelli – 21
“I’ve been struggling since yesterday with these tyres and with the rear grip. We didn’t find the right setup yet. We’ve been trying different things for the Sprint, but they didn’t work as we hoped. We will try something else for tomorrow, and then we will see. We need to work and understand in order to find other solutions for tomorrow’s race.”
Gresini Racing
FERMIN ALDEGUER #54
“I must say that missing out on a win on the last lap hurts, but we must be happy with this result. Honestly, we knew Marco Bezzecchi was quicker than us, but with his mistake at the start we found ourselves in the right place at the right time. I could almost taste victory, but I’m happy: we’ll try to score another good result tomorrow.”
ALEX MARQUEZ #73
“It was a positive day, despite the mistake towards the end of Q2. We didn’t change the bike for the Sprint, even though I’m struggling quite a bit at the front-end: having said that, fourth place is a good result. We need to remain calm and make a good tyre choice for tomorrow’s race.”
