Aprilia celebrations, Ducati struggles and tyre-pressure tactics | Mandalika reactions

MotoGP 2026

Round 17 – Mandalika – Sunday

MotoGP 2026

Round 17 – Mandalika – Quotes

Aprilia left Mandalika with a result it had never achieved before: all four of its MotoGP bikes filling the first four positions in a Grand Prix.

Marco Bezzecchi led the historic sweep ahead of Raul Fernandez, Jorge Martin and Ai Ogura. His fifth Grand Prix victory of the season was his 11th in the premier class and the 300th for an Italian rider in the top category.

Fernandez earned second despite a broken right index finger forcing him to change his braking technique, while Ogura also rode through a finger injury to complete Aprilia’s clean sweep.

Martin reclaimed the championship lead by two points from sixth-placed Marc Marquez. Despite the lead changing hands twice during the weekend, both riders scored 22 points, leaving the margin between them unchanged from their arrival in Indonesia.

Front tyre pressure management again became a talking point. Pedro Acosta explained why he repeatedly allowed Marquez through before having to repass him, while Aprilia CEO Massimo Rivola apologised for the pressure-setting error that had compromised Martin’s Sprint.

Elsewhere, Fabio Di Giannantonio described the front lock and vibration that hampered his race, Francesco Bagnaia admitted a lack of speed and confidence, and the physical demands of Mandalika took a toll on several riders. Fermin Aldeguer suffered a right-hand fracture requiring surgery, while Toprak Razgatlioglu retired with his injured shoulder.

Michelin also reflected on a weekend that produced new outright, race lap and race-duration records. Every rider selected a soft front and medium rear for Sunday’s 27-lap Grand Prix.

MotoGP Rider Quotes

Marco Bezzecchi – 1st

Aprilia Racing

“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.”

Raul Fernandez – 2nd

SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team

“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.”

Jorge Martin – 3rd

Aprilia Racing

“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.”

Ai Ogura – 4th

SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team

“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.”

Pedro Acosta – 5th

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

“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.”

Marc Marquez – 6th

Ducati Lenovo Team

“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 – 7th

BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP

“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.”

Fabio Di Giannantonio – 8th

Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team

“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. There are plenty of positives to take away from this weekend. It was one of our best weekends of the season, with a front-row start in qualifying and a podium in the Sprint. I’m very happy, and we should be extremely proud of the work we’ve done.”

Fabio Quartararo – 9th

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP

“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.”

Enea Bastianini – 10th

Red Bull KTM Tech3

“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.”

Brad Binder – 11th

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

“Way too long and hot of a race to finish 11th! I gave everything I had and we’ve been heavy on the edge of the tire all weekend, so from eight laps in it was tricky until the end.

“Anyway, I enjoyed riding and I enjoyed the track. We made a step from yesterday and went faster. The bike wasn’t bad at all, I was just missing some speed. The guys did a great job and I had more feeling with the front.

“We’ll prepare for the next one in Australia; Phillip Island is my favorite track so I’m looking forward to see how we manage.”

Luca Marini – 12th

Honda HRC Castrol

“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 – 13th

Castrol Honda LCR

“I’m happy to have finished the race and scored some points. During the race, I had a good pace, but I got frustrated because I had to leave myself some margin to avoid crashing. I lost time that way.

“I couldn’t fight the way I wanted to, and it was tough. We need to look at the bright side, as it was a hard weekend, but we scored points. We’ll see how things go in Australia!”

Franco Morbidelli – 14th

Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team

“Today’s race went as I expected. We knew what our potential was and that we would be more competitive on more used tyres. The positive thing is that once the tyres reached their ideal temperature, I was able to find a better feeling than I had yesterday in the Sprint.

“Another positive is that we were very fast in the final stages of the race. On the final lap, I was the fastest Ducati rider and the third-fastest rider on the grid. Unfortunately, it was too late to recover any more positions. We also learned some new things this weekend.”

Alex Rins – 15th

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP

“We didn’t have the same feeling we had on Friday or Saturday. The track conditions had changed and with it everything else changed – though this was the same for everybody.

“From the first lap, I didn’t have a good feeling, and then we also overheated the tyres, so that made this race very tough.”

Diogo Moreira – 16th

Pro Honda LCR

“This weekend was difficult. Today, I tried to finish the race without crashing or making mistakes. I just wanted to finish the weekend. We couldn’t do more than that, but we gave it our best.

“Now it’s time to rest a bit, and let’s see how things go in Australia!”

Maverick Viñales – 17th

Red Bull KTM Tech3

“It was a bad race. Already this morning in the Warm Up I felt really bad and at my limit. I did the race and tried to finish for my team.

“I tried to do a good rhythm in the middle of the race but it was really difficult. I tried to push but, also, I still don’t feel so good with the bike. It was very tough to do something good.

“Now is the time just to relax and go onto the next one. I will not train for the next days and try to recover and see the evolution of my physical condition over the next days. It was a very tough weekend.”

Viñales remained 17th after a 16-second penalty for failing to meet the minimum front tyre pressure requirements.

Toprak Razgatlioglu – DNF

Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP

“Today, my biggest problem was my shoulder, not the bike. Yesterday, after the Sprint, it was not feeling too bad, but when I woke up this morning, the pain was much worse and I had less movement. I took painkillers, but the main issue was the lack of strength, especially under braking. With every lap, it became more difficult to manage the bike, particularly through the right-hand corners and the changes of direction.

“Before the race, I spoke with the team, and they told me that if I felt too much pain, I should come back to the box or not race. But I wanted to try. I‘m not a stupid rider: if I feel it is too dangerous or I cannot continue, I will stop. Today, I gave it my best, but during the race the situation became more difficult because moving my shoulder felt very strange, almost as if it could come out of place again. I eventually had to stop because I could no longer ride the bike properly.

“Tomorrow, I will return to Turkey and have an MRI as soon as possible to understand the condition of my shoulder. I hope I won‘t need surgery and that some rest will be enough to recover for the next race. We will see what the doctors say, but I hope I can come back stronger next weekend.”

Razgatlioglu retired after eight completed laps. The next Grand Prix is at Phillip Island on October 23–25.

Francesco Bagnaia – DNF

Ducati Lenovo Team

“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.”

Jack Miller – DNF

Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP

Miller crashed at Turn Two on lap six. Pramac’s Sunday release supplied the following comment, which refers to the Sprint.

“It was pretty similar to Japan. I had a reasonably good feeling this morning, but as soon as we went out for the Sprint, the bike became almost unrideable. Something is not working as it should, whether it‘s related to the fuel map or something else. The engine behaviour is inconsistent, and we need to work harder to understand why.”

Fermin Aldeguer – DNF

BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP

Aldeguer crashed at Turn 16 on lap two and sustained a right-hand fracture. Gresini confirmed that he would return to Barcelona for surgery, with the following diagnosis supplied by MotoGP Medical Director Dr Angel Charte.

Dr Angel Charte

MotoGP Medical Director

“Fermín Aldeguer has sustained a fracture at the base of the first metacarpal bone in his right hand and will have to undergo surgery.”

Aleix Espargaro – Did not start

Honda HRC Castrol

Espargaro and Honda HRC Castrol elected to withdraw after Saturday’s action because of the physical restrictions associated with injuries sustained earlier in the year. No Sunday rider quote was included in the team’s release.

Team Management

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.”

Davide Brivio

SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team Principal

“I’m very happy. First of all, congratulations to Aprilia with the top four positions but also to our SuperFile Trackhouse Team. With the second position of Raul and the fourth position of Ai we ended up with very good results as a team overall.

“I’m happy because we kind of recovered some misfortune we had yesterday with Raul – although Ai finished second. It’s a track that always suited us, especially Raul. He has been fast since Friday. He got the lap record and the pole position.

“Yesterday, he started the Sprint with the intention to win but then there was an accident at the first corner and I think he recovered today despite his injury, which was a consequence from yesterday’s crash. Then he managed to finish the race, even if it was difficult. Second position is a great result for us, so congratulations to Raul.

“Also Ai, because of the crash, wasn’t in a great physical condition but they achieved great results, a lot of points. We make our progress in the points standings, so it was a good weekend in Mandalika and we look forward to the next one.”

Aki Ajo

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager

“With Pedro in 5th, Enea in the top ten and Brad in 11th after a tough race means we have to be happy. It was challenging as always here in Mandalika and the track temperatures were extreme.

“Pedro once again managed his race very well despite the tire pressures. Big respect for that. A solid weekend for Brad. We always want the best positions but he did all he could to get near the top ten today.”

Nicolas Goyon

Red Bull KTM Tech3 Team Manager

“In the end we’re leaving Mandalika with a strong top ten from Enea. This was the target before the race, but it wasn’t as easy as expected. Enea struggled in the first half of the race but did a super good job in the second half when he was one of the fastest riders on track. It wasn’t an easy weekend, but in the end Enea did a good job. Starting 14th, he ended up in tenth. It’s a decent job on our side.

“On the other side of the garage the situation is a little more tricky. For some reason, Maverick never really felt comfortable on the bike. He didn’t find a good setup and couldn’t find the confidence. It was clearly a disappointing result today. Maverick will have to take a break, refresh himself and come back in Phillip Island in better spirits and there is no reason why we can’t do it. Now it’s time to pack up everything, have one week off and then head to Australia.”

Massimo Meregalli

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team Director

“Overall this weekend has been quite positive for us. Fabio rode a really good race from the first to the very last lap, maintaining his position whilst making progress through the field to secure ninth place. He was close to eighth place at the end, which shows that our race pace was competitive.

“Álex was also in the fight for the top 10 during the first part of the race, but unfortunately he suffered a drop of the rear tyre in the closing stages, which made it difficult for him to maintain that pace.

“We leave Indonesia with useful data and good motivation to keep working. Now our focus shifts to Phillip Island – a very different circuit again – where we hope to continue building good momentum.”

Gino Borsoi

Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP Team Director

“Unfortunately, it has been another disappointing weekend. Expectations were high, especially after the way Friday started, and we were hoping to fight for points and build on the progress we had shown. Toprak‘s injury certainly made things more difficult, but Jack‘s crash today was also a setback we could have done without.

“We know we are facing difficulties at the moment, but we have shown that we can fight for points, so we need to understand why we are not managing to turn that potential into results. We have to make a change, be more precise in our work and make sure we are doing everything possible to give both riders the opportunity to achieve the results we know are within reach.”

Pablo Nieto

Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team Manager

“It has been a somewhat bittersweet weekend. On the one hand, we are extremely proud to have once again experienced the warmth and support of all the Indonesian fans and our partner, Pertamina Lubricants.

“From Monday, when we landed in Jakarta, right through to today here in Lombok, we have felt at home. It is a unique feeling, and we are truly grateful for it.

“Today’s result was not what we had hoped for, but we understand what prevented us from being more competitive. We hope that, at the very least, with yesterday’s Sprint podium and our front-row start, we were able to give something back and bring you some joy in return for all the support you have shown us over the past few days. See you next year!”

Michelin

Michelin supplied soft and medium compounds with symmetrical front tyres and asymmetrical rears. The rear construction was reinforced to cope with Mandalika’s demands, with a more resistant right shoulder for the circuit’s eleven right-hand corners.

Zarco was the only rider to choose the medium rear for the Sprint. Every rider selected a soft front and medium rear for Sunday’s Grand Prix.

Fernandez lowered the outright lap record to 1m28.725s on Friday. Bezzecchi then set a new race lap record of 1m29.960s on lap 19, while his winning time of 40m46.582s was almost 18 seconds faster than the previous race-duration benchmark.

Piero Taramasso

Michelin Motorsport Two-Wheel Competition Manager

“It was a particularly intense race weekend, as it is unusual for the circuit record to be broken as early as Friday. During the opening sessions, the track is generally still dirty, and teams are busy working on their bike set-ups. However, Raúl Fernández had clearly found the right tyre combination for a time attack from his very first laps, allowing him to set a new benchmark.

“For this Grand Prix, we had anticipated weather conditions similar to those experienced last year and selected a tyre allocation capable of covering a wide range of situations. Track temperatures never dropped below 50°C throughout the weekend, reaching 54°C when Raúl set his record lap and climbing to as high as 57°C at the start of the Grand Prix. This was another opportunity to demonstrate our expertise in managing thermal variations.

“To achieve this, we selected a reinforced rear tyre casing, also used in Thailand, whose construction helps keep temperature peaks under control. By combining a symmetrical front tyre, providing stability and confidence, with an asymmetrical rear tyre offering excellent feedback and consistent performance, we gave our partners a tyre package perfectly suited to the demands of this race, while enabling them to set new records.

“The new race lap record set by Marco Bezzecchi on lap 19, together with the significant reduction in the overall Grand Prix race time, are extremely important indicators of performance for us.”

Mandalika MotoGP Race Results

---

2026 MotoGP Championship Standings

---

2026 MotoGP Calendar

---