DUCATI FOOTAGE SUGGESTS MARQUEZ ALSO STRUGGLED WITH TYRE PRESSURE

Marc Marquez and Pedro Acosta’s position-swapping duel at the Indonesian Grand Prix was shaped by a tyre-pressure problem affecting both riders, according to footage of a conversation between them after the race.

Acosta finished fifth at Mandalika, ahead of Marquez in sixth, after repeatedly passing the Ducati rider and then yielding as he tried to bring his Michelin tyres back within the pressure rules. He eventually made a move stick, but later lost a place to Ai Ogura. Acosta was frustrated by the episode, saying the pair had looked like “donkeys” as they traded positions.

In an exchange captured by Ducati’s official YouTube channel in the TV media pen, Acosta explained: “I was f—— with the tyre pressures. You have no idea. When I overtook you, I thought, ‘Right, that’s it’. Then it came back again… and I was thinking, ‘No way, not again!’ What about you? Bad also?”

Marquez replied: “I was fine behind you, but not in front.” Acosta then left, saying, “See you.”

The conversation appears to conflict with Marquez’s post-race claim that he had not suffered the same pressure trouble as Acosta. It suggests the issue affected him when he moved ahead of the KTM rider. Marquez did not press on after Acosta finally established himself in front.

Tyre pressure was a wider concern across the weekend. Marquez had received a warning on his dashboard during the Sprint, while Jorge Martin had to drop back and lost the Sprint victory. Maverick Vinales, who finished last in the Grand Prix, was handed a 16-second penalty.

Acosta will become Marquez’s Ducati teammate in 2027. Marquez remains two points behind Martin in the standings, with five rounds left.