MARC MARQUEZ WINS MANDALIKA SPRINT TO TAKE CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD

Marco Bezzecchi dismissed Raul Fernandez’s anger over their first-corner collision, describing the Mandalika Sprint crash as a racing incident. Fernandez started from pole with Bezzecchi alongside, but the Italian’s stronger launch brought him level with the Spaniard in the Turn 1 braking zone. Marc Marquez and Fabio di Giannantonio were also charging into the corner, making it four riders side-by-side.

Di Giannantonio later explained that contact knocked his gear lever into first gear. “So when I exited from the first corner, I was on the rev limiter of the first gear,” he said. His sudden lack of acceleration contributed to the chain reaction: Marquez lifted to avoid the VR46 rider, Bezzecchi moved to avoid Marquez, and his movement took out Fernandez’s front wheel. Both Aprilias crashed, ending their races; Fernandez sarcastically clapped from the gravel trap and suffered a broken finger.

Marquez described the crowded corner as a “domino effect”. He said Bezzecchi was watching Fernandez’s braking point, while Marquez was watching Bezzecchi and di Giannantonio was watching Marquez. The riders all ran wide, allowing Jorge Martin to move from fifth to first. Martin later surrendered the lead to Marquez because of front-tyre pressure concerns, then ran wide late in the Sprint and finished fourth. Di Giannantonio went on to claim the final podium place.

Fernandez accused Bezzecchi of focusing on getting ahead of him at the braking point without accounting for the other riders. He said the pair were both Aprilia riders with the pace to run ahead of the rest, but Bezzecchi had tried to push him off the kerb under braking, leaving the door open for the Ducatis. “I feel terrible for my team, I feel terrible for Aprilia, but what he did wasn’t professional,” Fernandez said. He added: “Marco wanted to get to that braking point in front of me, and that’s all he focused on, without considering that we weren’t racing alone.”

Fernandez said he had tried to hold the middle of the track at the start so riders behind could not attack, but Bezzecchi’s launch put him ahead and pushed him towards the outside. He also accused Bezzecchi of choosing a line suited to riding alone, despite the crowded corner, and said Aprilia had asked its riders to behave like gentlemen because the team believed it had a competitive advantage at Mandalika. Fernandez acknowledged that the incident did not warrant a penalty, saying it would be unfair to punish Bezzecchi. He was unsure whether he could race on Sunday, saying he would try the warm-up first and feared the crash might have ruined his weekend.

Bezzecchi said he was sorry Fernandez was angry, but maintained that the contact was part of the racing. “The start is a moment where we are all very close. Many times, it can happen that you have to adapt a little bit your line and it’s what I tried to do [to avoid Marquez],” he said. “Then I had, unfortunately, one contact and I saw we were on the ground.” Asked about Fernandez’s reaction, Bezzecchi said: “He touched me.” He also insisted Fernandez “has nothing to be angry about.” The Italian said there was “nothing to really complain too much about” and regretted the outcome after what he felt had been a strong start: “I am sad because we made a good job [until then] but there is nothing to say. It’s just racing.”

Marquez claimed his eighth Sprint win of the season, moving ahead of Martin at the top of the championship standings. Ducati teammate Francesco Bagnaia, who finished eighth, said Marquez made up ground in the final two sectors despite losing time to Aprilia in sector two. “Even though we lose quite a bit in sector two, he manages to be very strong in sector four and three, and closes that gap a bit,” Bagnaia said. He also cited difficulty getting heat into his rear tyre, saying it took him about seven laps before his pace improved.

The win appeared to take a heavy physical toll on Marquez. TNT Sports commentator Neil Hodgson said he had never seen the Ducati rider look so exhausted, describing him as “absolutely shattered” after the 13-lap race and warning that the full-distance Grand Prix would be tough. Marquez said he had felt “dizzy” after the podium ceremony. In comments to AS, he attributed it to the 35°C heat, exertion and adrenaline, while noting that he had also crashed. He left the golf cart to go to his office, change and recover, and said he felt fresher afterwards.

Fernandez gets another opportunity from pole in Sunday’s 27-lap Grand Prix, scheduled for 3pm local time, with no penalties listed. Marquez and Martin start from row two; a win for either would put them atop the championship standings when they leave Indonesia. Ai Ogura, who took second in the Sprint after benefiting from the Turn 1 chaos, starts on row three alongside Alex Marquez and Pedro Acosta. Fermin Aldeguer qualified sixth, while Toprak Razgatlioglu returned despite dislocating his right shoulder in final practice. HRC stand-in Aleix Espargaro starts 22nd.