More from a press release issued by Aprilia Racing:

Marco Bezzecchi and Aprilia Racing unstoppable at Mandalika.

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 – technical director: “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.” 

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More from a press release issued by BK8 Gresini Team:

Fermin on the Sprint podium, Alexi 4th at Madalika. 

• Sprint – IndonesianGP

2^nd – FERMIN ALDEGUER #54 

4^th – ALEX MARQUEZ #73 

• World Championship Standings

2^nd – ALEX MARQUEZ #73 (346 points)

8^th – FERMIN ALDEGUER #54 (156 points)

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.”
*Crashed in Q2 at turn 13

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More from a press release issued by Honda HRC Castrol: 

On the charge! Mir cuts through the field as Marini equals best Honda Qualifying.

Another day of intrigue at the Indonesian GP as the Honda HRC Castrol team once again featured prominently throughout, Joan Mir with an incredible recovery to fifth and Luca Marini leading the Sprint from the line after qualifying on the second row.

Picking up where they left off on Friday, the Honda HRC Castrol team were straight to work as both Joan Mir and Luca Marini assessed the adjustments their team had done overnight. With little change in the conditions at the Mandalika Circuit, it was another physically demanding day not just for the riders but also the mechanics working away in the garage.

Yellow flags restricted Joan Mir’s performance during Q2, only able to manage 12th on the grid when the 15-minute session came to a close. Turning his frustrations into motivations, the #36 authored a memorable comeback as he marched his way through the field. Quickly into the top ten, Mir was able to match the pace of the podium finishers and catch his fast-starting teammate in the closing stages of the Sprint. Taking fifth place echoed his Japanese GP performance despite his complicated grid slot.

Matching his best grid position as a Honda rider, first achieved at the San Marino GP a few weeks ago, Luca Marini secured a solid sixth to start from the second row. Victim to a yellow flag incident late in Q2, the Italian had the potential to challenge for more. All of this was forgotten as the lights went on the Sprint and the #10 shot forward with his best start of the year, leading into the opening corner. An intense brawl with first Raul Fernandez and then eventual Sprint winner Marco Bezzecchi erupted, Marini fending off countless attacks from the Aprilia rider and crossing the line in sixth, just behind his teammate. A post-race penalty due to tyre pressure would drop Marini to 13th.

Today’s results have both sides of the Honda HRC Castrol prepared for what is sure to be an interesting Indonesian GP on Sunday. Especially if weather forecasts are to be believed, rain or shine – both Mir and Marini have shown they have the speed the challenge at the front again.

Joan Mir – 5th: “Our bike is getting better and today I was able to have a really good race. We couldn’t show our true selves in Qualifying, so it was a bit of an uphill battle, but we did it in a great way. My pace was really good all weekend, so we put our heads down and went for it. Tomorrow, I think we have a package to enjoy the race, to move forward and do another comeback. Usually this isn’t a track I have a great feeling at, it is a nice surprise to arrive here with the pace for the podium, and I have to say thanks to everyone for their work to arrive in this situation. Another top five would be amazing considering where we are starting but we can certainly aim for it. Weekends like this give us a boost not just for the next weekend, but also for next year.”

Luca Marini – 13th : “A day with some positive points to take, but certainly I was hoping for more with the speed we have shown during the whole weekend. Our qualifying was acceptable but there is still something to improve with the bike to really make that step with the soft. The start to the race was really good, we were able to make another good launch. I fought a lot with Bezzecchi because the Sprint podium was very close for us. Some things to improve and to fix from how that race went for tomorrow. The tyre pressure dropped a lot at the start, and I couldn’t ride how I wanted to, even when I let some riders past to try and get some heat in.” 

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More from a press release issued by Red Bull KTM Tech3: 

Our adventure in Lombok island has not been as dreamy as we would have hoped so far, and yet the Red Bull KTM Tech3 team had two face another letdown on Saturday. Maverick Viñales decided to withdraw from the remainder of the Indonesian Grand Prix to fully focus on his recovery, while Enea Bastianini crashed early into the Tissot Sprint, after starting from 17th.

Qualifying

Enea Bastianini and Maverick Viñales were back in action on Saturday morning, ready to face the extreme heat once again of Lombok island, with yet another busy day awaiting them. Things continued to get tricky for Bastianini after a feeling​-less Friday, and the Italian could not find a way to get things right as he returned for FP2. In a spicy Q1 welcoming Marc Marquez for the first time this season, the fight for the top 2 was going to be a difficult one. Enea managed a 1’30.242 in the first flying lap of run 2 to sit in a provisional P5, but as he continued to push, he unfortunately crashed at T1​, with 3 minutes left. That was it for Enea in qualifying, who was going to start the Indonesian Grand Prix from 17th. Maverick continued to fight his lack of strength on Saturday, with the Red Bull KTM Tech3 rider riding a best lap in 1’30.956, one which was going to see him close the grid of both Sprint and main event. Shortly after qualifying, Maverick and his team decided ​together to withdraw from the Indonesian Grand Prix, for the Spaniard to ​f​ully focus on his left-shoulder recovery.

Tissot Sprint

Enea Bastianini was therefore the only Red Bull KTM Tech3 rider to line up on the Sprint grid in Mandalika just before 15:00 LT. At lights out, Bastianini earned two positions from 17th to 15th to sit behind Fabio Di Giannantonio, and one more position was grabbed in the next sector. The first lap’s battle was tense as always, and eventually Enea dropped back to his initial grid position at lap 1 exit, behind Fabio Quartararo who had dropped 8 positions. At the front, rookie Fermin Aldeguer led lap 2 ahead of Pedro Acosta, and Raul Fernandez. The battle for 16th against Alex Rins was on​, entering lap 3, but unfortunately a contact with the Yamaha Factory rider saw Enea crash at T16, calling it an early end for the day. Marco Bezzecchi took the win, with rookie Fermin Aldeguer ​g​rabbing the silver​ from first MotoGP™ front row start, and ​Raul Fernandez ​taking his career-first sprint podium with the third place.

That’s almost it for the Grand Prix of Indonesia, with now just the main event awaiting Enea Bastianini on Sunday at 15:00 LT (UTC+8) for 27 laps​, as he will want to turn his Indonesian campaign around.

Enea Bastianini: “Tough one for us. Qualifying is always complicated for us, if I push, it’s easy for me to crash, which happened today. We usually have a better pace in the races, but I crashed after 3 laps in a fast corner following a contact with Alex Rins. I feel quite lucky, because it was really dangerous, but I am feeling good, although I have some pain everywhere, but nothing important. I think we can have a good pace in tomorrow’s race, we will try to do a good job. The grip is quite low for me, I think that the race will be tricky with the mediums, but let’s see!”

Maverick Viñales: “​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​!”

Nicolas Goyon, Team Manager: “Difficult weekend so far for the whole team here in Indonesia. Somehow, Enea Bastianini is facing issues with the bike, and he cannot go fast. It feels like we are back to a similar situation as we were in at the start of the season… Race pace seems to be ok, but it is impossible to make a fast lap, which makes things more difficult. The goal was to use the sprint as an extra session, but unfortunately, he had a contact with Alex Rins that led to a crash. I really hope that we can find some solutions for tomorrow, and see a bit of light. On Maverick Viñales’ side, we have decided all together to withdraw from the Indonesian Grand Prix. ​Since his return on the bike, we have tried to speed up the shoulder recovery, but the last two races have been super difficult for him. Mandalika layout and its high-speed changes of directions are making everything tougher, he is unable to go fast and it affects his confidence on the bike, so we think stopping here is the smartest choice for Maverick to fully focus on recovery.”

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More from a press release issued by IDEMITSU Honda LCR:

IDEMITSU Honda LCR rider Somkiat Chantra crashed during Saturday’s Sprint in Mandalika.

 

GINO BORSOI – Team Director, Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP 

Miguel Oliveira: “I got off the line quite well, but in the early laps you realize you can‘t stay too close behind the other bikes, because you‘re riding different lines and racing in a different way. The front tire was moving too much, so overtaking was very difficult — basically impossible. We just don‘t have enough speed to make passes, which makes the race pretty tough. Tomorrow will be even harder, with a heavier bike that won‘t make things easier on the front. I think we‘ll gamble on the soft and try to manage it as best as we can.”

Jack Miller: “It was a decent race. I had a really good start, but then I couldn‘t get the front device disengaged in the first corner. I tried between Turns 2 and 3, and again on the exit from 4 to 5, but it didn‘t release, and each time I lost a position. I finally managed to get it off at Turn 10, which was far from ideal. After that, I found my rhythm but got stuck behind Mir for a long time. When Márquez did his long lap and came out in front of me, he also struggled to pass Joan, and following him we started to close in on the group ahead. Tomorrow I need to repeat today‘s good start, but this time focus on braking harder into Turn 1 to make sure we get that first device off right away.”

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More from a press release issued by Monster Energy Yamaha: 

Luckless Mandalika Sprint for Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP. 

Luck was not on Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team’s side today during the Grand Prix of Indonesia Sprint. Álex Rins was pushed wide on the opening lap, resulting in the Spaniard spending the remainder of the 13-lap dash riding from P19 to P13. Following a post-Sprint 8-second penalty for Luca Marini, Rins ranked 12th in the revised classifications. Fabio Quartararo also had a tough outing. He was relegated to last place right after the start and fought his way back to P13, only to crash out on the final lap.

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 

“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.”

Alex Rins: “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: “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.”

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More from a press release issued by Ducati Lenovo Team:

The Ducati Lenovo Team clinches the Team Title, Ducati takes the Triple Crown. Márquez is sixth after a comeback, while Bagnaia finishes fourteenth

• Third Triple Crown for Ducati, after the ones secured in 2007 and 2022
• Podium for Fermín Aldeguer, second with the Desmosedici GP of the Gresini Racing Team

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.