MotoGP 2026
Round 17 – Mandalika – Sunday
MotoGP Race
Martin regains lead as Aprilia sweeps Mandalika
Marc Marquez took a four-point championship lead into Sunday’s 27-lap Indonesian Grand Prix, but Aprilia’s Saturday pace suggested another victory would be far from straightforward. Jorge Martin had demonstrated the speed to pull clear before front tyre pressure problems and a late mistake turned a potential Sprint win into fourth place.
Polesitter Raul Fernandez faced a painful challenge after fracturing his right index finger in Saturday’s first-corner clash. The Trackhouse rider normally brakes with that finger alone, but had switched to his middle finger during warm-up, with changes to his brake lever and hand position allowing him to continue. Second fastest that morning suggested the speed remained, but sustaining it over a full Grand Prix would be another matter.
Marco Bezzecchi and Fabio Di Giannantonio completed the front row, with Marquez and Martin starting alongside one another on row two. Ai Ogura lined up seventh, also nursing a broken finger, on his left hand, after a bruising weekend that had nevertheless yielded second in the Sprint.
Toprak Razgatlioglu’s difficult weekend continued with a three-place grid penalty for riding slowly on the racing line and obstructing Bezzecchi at Turn 16 during warm-up. It was his second such offence of the season, adding to the Pramac Yamaha rider’s problems after dislocating his right shoulder on Saturday.
Aleix Espargaro was missing from the grid. The physical restrictions associated with injuries sustained earlier in the year, compounded by Mandalika’s heat and demanding layout, prompted the Honda rider and his team to withdraw.
Every rider selected a soft front and medium rear Michelin for the race. Managing those tyres, their pressures and the physical demands of 27 laps would be central to the afternoon.
Fernandez leads as Martin makes his move
Bezzecchi braked deep into Turn One, but Fernandez emerged ahead as the field swept through the opening corners. Marc Marquez slotted into third, with Di Giannantonio, Fermin Aldeguer and Martin in the chasing group.
Alex Marquez got the better of Ogura during the opening lap, while Luca Marini made another excellent start to put his Honda into the top-ten fight. Pedro Acosta had work to do after completing the first lap in tenth.
Martin wasted little time getting on with that work himself, passing Di Giannantonio on lap two as Fernandez began to stretch the field. The polesitter was already around a second clear of Bezzecchi as they headed into lap three.
Aldeguer’s race ended at Turn 16 on the second lap. Running fourth, the Gresini rider lost the front in a crash that would have consequences beyond a lost result. He sustained a fracture at the base of the first metacarpal in his right hand, with surgery required and a return to Barcelona arranged.
That promoted Martin to fourth, and the Aprilia rider soon reeled in Marc Marquez. A clean move under brakes at Turn Ten on lap three put Martin into third and established an Aprilia 1-2-3.
There was already more than two seconds between Martin and race leader Fernandez, with Bezzecchi sitting between them. Martin’s early pace suggested he might bridge that gap, but the leading pair would prove difficult to catch.
Acosta was also making rapid progress. Having worked through the traffic and past Di Giannantonio, the KTM rider arrived on the back of Marquez in the fight for fourth.
Further behind, Jack Miller lost the front under brakes at Turn Two on lap six. Francesco Bagnaia then went down at Turn 17 on the same lap, bringing both riders’ afternoons to an early end.
Acosta made his move on lap seven, slipping past Marquez under brakes at Turn Ten and opening a gap. Di Giannantonio remained close behind the Ducati Lenovo rider, with Alex Marquez and Ogura also in contention.
Razgatlioglu’s attempt to ride through his shoulder injury lasted eight completed laps before he returned to the pits. Pain and a lack of strength were making braking, right-hand corners and changes of direction increasingly difficult, and the Turkish rider stopped when he could no longer control the bike properly. He planned further examination and an MRI on returning to Turkey.
Bezzecchi builds the pressure
Fernandez continued to lead, but Bezzecchi was keeping him firmly in sight. The factory Aprilia rider dipped into the 1m29s on lap 11 as he began to apply more pressure to his injured stablemate.
Behind the leading trio, the battle for fourth took an unusual turn. Acosta had the speed to get ahead of Marquez, but maintaining the required front tyre pressure was another matter. He repeatedly allowed the Ducati rider back through, then had to find a way past again.
The exchanges disrupted Acosta’s rhythm and helped bring the chasing riders back into contention. Ogura was becoming an increasing threat as the race developed, working his way past Alex Marquez and then Di Giannantonio before setting his sights on the KTM and factory Ducati ahead.
Acosta later confirmed that managing his front tyre pressure had dictated his tactics. There was no equivalent confirmation from Marquez that his own tyre pressure was responsible for the position changes.
Up front, Fernandez’s effort was becoming harder to sustain. The altered braking arrangement had changed his references and the way he entered corners, while the physical strain was mounting. He would later explain that he was already struggling badly after 14 laps.
Bezzecchi took the lead on lap 19, with Fernandez running wide at Turn One, and immediately made the most of the clear track. A 1m29.960s lap established a new race lap record as the factory Aprilia rider began to pull away.
Martin remained third, almost three seconds behind the leading pair at that stage. He had escaped the battle behind but could not quite match the pace at the front.
Ogura passed Marc Marquez on lap 21 to take fifth and began closing on Acosta. The Japanese rider’s pace through Mandalika’s fast corners was a particular strength, and with four laps remaining he was close enough to start showing the KTM rider a wheel.
On lap 25, Ogura attacked. Acosta fought back through the next part of the sequence, but Ogura found another opening and this time made the move stick. Aprilia now occupied all four leading positions.
Marquez remained close enough to watch that contest unfold, but was unable to capitalise. Acosta stayed with Ogura to the flag, finishing little more than a tenth behind him.
At the front, Bezzecchi’s advantage continued to grow. Fernandez had enough in reserve to protect second from Martin, whose attempts to close the gap failed to develop into a late challenge.
Bezzecchi crossed the line more than four seconds clear of Fernandez, with Martin third and Ogura fourth. For the first time in a premier-class Grand Prix, Aprilia had swept the top four.
A historic afternoon for Aprilia
Bezzecchi’s fifth Grand Prix victory of the season followed his successes in Thailand, Brazil, America and Italy. It was his 11th premier-class win and the 300th for an Italian rider in the top category.
His race lap record was more than half a second faster than Aldeguer’s previous benchmark, while the winning time of 40m46.582s lowered the previous race-duration record by almost 18 seconds.
For Bezzecchi, it was also a return to the top step he had been pursuing since his Sachsenring injury. He remains third in the championship, 46 points behind Martin with five rounds to go.
Marco Bezzecchi – P1
“I’m happy with my race. I really wanted to leave Mandalika with a good result, and I’d been chasing this win since my injury at the Sachsenring. It felt really good. Clearly, with only five races left, the title is more lost than won. But that doesn’t change how I think or work, especially with my team. I’m not a rider who gives up. That’s who I am, and I’m happy to have met so many like-minded people along the way who I’m fortunate enough to work with.”
Fernandez’s second place completed an exceptional recovery from Saturday’s disappointment. He left Mandalika with his first MotoGP pole, the outright lap record and a Grand Prix podium earned while having to relearn a fundamental part of riding the bike.
Raul Fernandez – P2
“This morning, when I woke up, I felt very bad with the finger. The problem wasn’t the pain, but the finger that I broke is the one I use to brake so, since this morning I wasn’t able to use it. This morning, for the Warm Up, the team made some changes of the position of my hand and the brake lever. I felt OK on the bike inside the garage, but on track the problem was that my normal reference to brake was completely different – how and when I grab the brake, how I enter the corner, everything. It was difficult to manage but, finally, we got to make the race and we got an amazing podium. After 14 laps, I was almost destroyed, it was painful and to keep my focus on the handlebar and not make mistakes was very difficult, but finally we got this podium. I’m very happy for the team and all the people that support me. I think we did something really nice.”
Third was enough for Martin to reclaim the championship lead, turning Saturday evening’s four-point deficit into a two-point advantage over Marquez. It was his ninth Grand Prix podium of the season and his third in succession.
Jorge Martin – P3
“I’m happy with this podium because I achieved the best possible result. Marco and Raúl had something extra all weekend. I tried to close the gap, but they were faster. I’m still a little disappointed with yesterday’s result because I could have won, but I’m happy with today’s. As for the championship, the most important thing is to stay in the title fight and, above all, arrive in Valencia with a chance.”
Ogura’s recovery from ninth at the end of the first lap to fourth also carried championship significance. He moved ahead of Acosta into fourth in the standings by a single point, while helping Trackhouse consolidate third in the teams’ championship.
Ai Ogura – P4
“It was a tough race but I had a lot of advantage from the bike and I could go much faster in the fast corners. Like this, I managed to finish in fourth. In general, our performance this weekend wasn’t really great – we need to work harder. If I would have been fighting for second or third, I would have enjoyed the battles much more, but anyway, it was a nice battle.”
Aprilia’s fourth podium lockout of the season, following Le Mans, Assen and Silverstone, became something more with Ogura’s late move. The manufacturer’s eighth Grand Prix victory of 2026 also helped establish a 12-point constructors’ championship lead over Ducati.
Aprilia Racing CEO Massimo Rivola celebrated the result while accepting responsibility for the tyre-pressure error that had compromised Martin’s Sprint.
Massimo Rivola – Aprilia Racing CEO
“Once again, Aprilia means high drama, for better and for worse. Saturday started in the best possible way with pole position for Raúl Fernández, but the sprint was marred by a mistake at turn one and a serious error over Jorge’s front tyre pressure, for which we owe him an apology. At least Ai’s superb ride through the field salvaged something from it. Sunday, on the other hand, has been a day to remember, with four RS-GP bikes in the top four for the first time. We know it will be tough right to the end, but just as we don’t get disheartened when things go badly, we don’t get carried away when they go well. I want to congratulate everyone at Noale on their commitment and dedication, which are proving so valuable in this hard-fought season.”
Acosta leads the resistance as Marquez limits the damage
Acosta was the first non-Aprilia rider home in fifth, securing his tenth top-five Grand Prix finish of the season. He felt he had extracted the most available from the KTM, although the time spent managing front tyre pressure had been costly.
Pedro Acosta – P5
“I was struggling all race with the front tire pressure and I was losing massive time letting Marc past then passing him again, him going past and then struggling to pass again! Ogura caught us and I lost a lot of time with these things and it took away the possibility of being in the top four. Anyway, we made a good race. I think we took the maximum we could. First non-Aprilia and much better than yesterday. Happy.”
Marquez finished sixth as the leading Ducati, completing a Sunday MotoGP race at Mandalika for the first time. Losing the championship lead on Sunday was only part of the picture: he and Martin each scored 22 points across the weekend, leaving the two-point margin between them exactly as it had been on arrival.
At a circuit where Aprilia had such a clear advantage, Saturday’s Sprint victory had proved particularly valuable.
Marc Marquez – P6
“This weekend went really well, and I’m very happy that I didn’t lose any points to Martín. It’s true that you always want more and that we struggled in the race today, but we expected that over the full race distance. We struggled, but at the same time, we managed the situation perfectly and came out swinging. I stayed focused on the present without thinking about the fact that I hadn’t finished a race here before today, so we can’t complain.”
Alex Marquez finished seventh, around six seconds behind his brother. The Gresini rider had hoped for more from the medium rear tyre, but acknowledged that the Aprilias had been beyond reach.
Alex Marquez – P7
“I was hoping to have more pace on the medium tyre, and we actually did, but the Aprilias were flying today. The result isn’t what we were hoping for, but we still fought hard and came away with some important points. Now we’ll reset this week and try to recover after a very intense weekend, also from a physical standpoint.”
Di Giannantonio held off Fabio Quartararo by less than two-tenths for eighth, but his race had been compromised by a major front lock at Turn Ten followed by persistent vibration. After a front-row start and Sprint podium, the VR46 rider felt there had been scope for more.
Fabio Di Giannantonio – P8
“Today, we could have done a great job, but unfortunately, we had a problem that caused us to lose all feeling with the front of the bike. At the beginning of the race, I stayed calm and focused on maintaining my pace because I knew our rivals had something extra and that it was going to be a long race. Our goal was to stay as close to them as possible, but at Turn 10 I had a significant front lock, and from that moment on, I had a lot of vibrations at the front of the bike. I was very lucky not to crash. It was a tough race, but despite the problem, we were still in the fight.”
Quartararo’s ninth place followed a patient pursuit of Marini before he turned his attention to the struggling Ducati ahead. He almost caught Di Giannantonio, although his own tyres were also suffering by the finish.
Fabio Quartararo – P9
“It was hot and physically demanding. I was struggling a lot on the first five laps, but I was able to maintain my position. After Moto2 and Moto3, the track conditions changed a lot, so I had some issues stopping in Turn 1 and Turn 10, but my feeling with the front was not so bad, so I could compensate a little bit. I saw that [Fabio] Di Giannantonio was struggling, but I came just one lap short. Also, on the last five laps, I destroyed my tyres. But I’m really happy with the race. It’s quite a great result getting P9 again.”
Bastianini rallies as the heat takes its toll
Enea Bastianini completed the top ten after another strong second half. The Tech3 rider struggled to turn and hold his line in traffic, but became more competitive as the field spread out. Passes on Brad Binder on lap 23 and Marini on lap 26 lifted him to tenth.
Enea Bastianini – P10
“It was a very difficult start, like always when you are starting behind many riders. But as the race progressed and the group spread apart, it was better for me. Today I suffered a lot in the slipstream, just like yesterday. My bike felt a little nervous when I was tucked in behind the others. The bike didn’t want to stay on line, and turning was tricky. Plus, we felt the turbulence from the other bikes. We need to study this for Phillip Island. From the middle of the race, it was much better. I came back, was fast and did a good job at the end. I’m not really happy about the result. Next time out the aim will be to qualify much better. Let’s see what we can do in Australia.”
Binder finished less than a second behind Bastianini in 11th. The South African reported improved front-end feeling compared with Saturday, but had been fighting diminishing edge grip from around eight laps into the race.
Marini was the leading Honda in 12th. His excellent getaway and stronger early pace had put a top-ten finish within reach, but fading edge grip eventually left him unable to fend off Quartararo and the KTM pair.
Luca Marini – P12
“Again I was able to make a really good start and gain a lot of positions at the start. Once I was there in the top ten, I focused on defending my position as much as possible. The feeling with the bike and especially the tyres was a lot better than Saturday and we can see that from the pace in the first half. After 12 laps the edge grip started to drop and it became really difficult to defend from Fabio and then the KTM pair. At the end it is not as good as weekend as we were expecting, especially when last year we were so strong, but we at least finished as the top Honda again.”
Johann Zarco recovered from 19th on the grid to 13th, collecting three points. He felt he had reasonable pace but needed to leave himself a margin to avoid crashing, which limited his ability to fight.
Franco Morbidelli finished 14th after dropping to 19th in the opening stages. His pace improved as the tyres reached their working temperature, but the ground lost early proved too much to recover.
Alex Rins took the final point in 15th. The Yamaha rider never found the feeling he had enjoyed earlier in the weekend, with tyre overheating adding to his difficulties as the race progressed.
Diogo Moreira finished 16th, just outside the points, while Maverick Viñales completed the race in 17th. Already feeling physically at his limit in warm-up, Viñales endured a difficult afternoon and subsequently received a 16-second penalty for failing to meet the minimum front tyre pressure requirements.
For Bagnaia, the early crash ended a weekend in which neither speed nor confidence had arrived. He was running tenth when he fell while trying to stay with Marini.
Francesco Bagnaia – DNF
“This weekend I lacked speed and confidence. I was trying to follow Luca Marini, but it was clear that I didn’t have the pace to do so and, when I tried to give something extra, I crashed. On a track like this, I feel the lack of rear-end grip and connection with the throttle that I’ve been experiencing even more, as being effective mid-corner is really important here. Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to make the steps forward we were hoping for, but we’ll continue to work ahead of the next race.”
Two points separate Martin and Marquez heading to Australia
Martin heads to Phillip Island on 355 points, with Marquez on 353 and Bezzecchi on 309. Ogura holds fourth on 259, just one point ahead of Acosta, while Di Giannantonio remains sixth on 245 and Fernandez seventh on 236.
Mandalika changed the championship leader twice without changing the gap between the leading contenders across the weekend. Marquez made the most of Saturday’s opportunity; Martin recovered the initiative on Sunday. Behind them, Bezzecchi reminded both that he is still capable of taking maximum points.
The Australian Grand Prix follows on October 23–25. Phillip Island’s fast, flowing layout offers an intriguing next test after Aprilia’s emphatic display in Indonesia, with only two points separating Martin and Marquez and five rounds still to decide the championship.
Mandalika MotoGP Race Results
 |
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|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Time/Gap |
| 1 | M. Bezzecchi | Apr | 40m46.582 |
| 2 | R. Fernandez | Apr | +4.260 |
| 3 | J. Martin | Apr | +6.890 |
| 4 | A. Ogura | Apr | +9.378 |
| 5 | P. Acosta | KTM | +9.492 |
| 6 | M. Marquez | Duc | +10.778 |
| 7 | A. Marquez | Duc | +16.821 |
| 8 | F. Di Giannantonio | Duc | +19.840 |
| 9 | F. Quartararo | Yam | +19.999 |
| 10 | E. Bastianini | KTM | +21.111 |
| 11 | B. Binder | KTM | +21.912 |
| 12 | L. Marini | Hon | +22.656 |
| 13 | J. Zarco | Hon | +26.260 |
| 14 | F. Morbidelli | Duc | +28.012 |
| 15 | A. Rins | Yam | +31.662 |
| 16 | D. Moreira | Hon | +34.168 |
| 17 | M. Viñales | KTM | +55.596 |
| Not Classified |
|||
| NC | T. Razgatlioglu | Yam | +19 laps |
| NC | F. Bagnaia | Duc | +22 laps |
| NC | J. Miller | Yam | +22 laps |
| NC | F. Aldeguer | Duc | +26 laps |
2026 MotoGP Championship Standings
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||
|---|---|---|
| Pos | Rider | Points |
| 1 | J. Martin | 355 |
| 2 | M. Marquez | 353 |
| 3 | M. Bezzecchi | 309 |
| 4 | A. Ogura | 259 |
| 5 | P. Acosta | 258 |
| 6 | F. Di Giannantonio | 245 |
| 7 | R. Fernandez | 236 |
| 8 | A. Marquez | 172 |
| 9 | F. Bagnaia | 166 |
| 10 | F. Aldeguer | 125 |
| 11 | E. Bastianini | 122 |
| 12 | L. Marini | 108 |
| 13 | B. Binder | 104 |
| 14 | F. Quartararo | 74 |
| 15 | D. Moreira | 74 |
| 16 | F. Morbidelli | 59 |
| 17 | J. Zarco | 51 |
| 18 | J. Mir | 33 |
| 19 | J. Miller | 28 |
| 20 | A. Rins | 25 |
| 21 | T. Razgatlioglu | 18 |
| 22 | M. Viñales | 12 |
| 23 | I. Lecuona | 9 |
| 24 | A. Fernandez | 6 |
| 25 | P. Espargaro | 5 |
| 26 | S. Chantra | 3 |
| 27 | T. Nakagami | 3 |
| 28 | C. Crutchlow | 0 |
| 29 | J. Folger | 0 |
| 30 | L. Savadori | 0 |
| 31 | M. Pirro | 0 |
| 32 | A. Espargaro | 0 |
2026 MotoGP Calendar
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|
Rnd
|
Date
|
Event
|
Circuit
|
| 1 |
01 Mar
|
Thai
|
Chang International Circuit
|
| 2 |
22 Mar
|
Brazil*
|
Autodromo Internacional Ayrton Senna
|
| 3 |
29 Mar
|
US
|
Circuit of the Americas
|
| 4 |
26 Apr
|
Spain**
|
Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto
|
| 5 |
10 May
|
France
|
Le Mans
|
| 6 |
17 May
|
Catalonia
|
Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya
|
| 7 |
31 May
|
Italy
|
Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello
|
| 8 |
07 Jun
|
Hungary
|
Balaton Park Circuit
|
| 9 |
21 Jun
|
Czech
|
Automotodrom Brno
|
| 10 |
28 Jun
|
Netherlands
|
TT Circuit Assen
|
| 11 |
12 Jul
|
Germany
|
Sachsenring
|
| 12 |
09 Aug
|
GB
|
Silverstone Circuit
|
| 13 |
30 Aug
|
Aragon
|
MotorLand Aragon
|
| 14 |
13 Sep
|
San Marino
|
Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli
|
| 15 |
20 Sep
|
Austria
|
Red Bull Ring-Spielberg
|
| 16 |
04 Oct
|
Japan
|
Mobility Resort Motegi
|
| 17 |
11 Oct
|
Indonesia
|
Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit
|
| 18 |
25 Oct
|
Australia
|
Phillip Island
|
| 19 |
01 Nov
|
Malaysia
|
Petronas Sepang International Circuit
|
| 20 |
08 Nov
|
Qatar
|
Lusail International Circuit
|
| 21 |
22 Nov
|
Portugal
|
Autodromo Internacional do Algarve
|
| 22 |
29 Nov
|
Valencia
|
Circuit Ricardo Tormo
|
