MARQUEZ KEEPS DUCATI’S TITLE DEFICIT UNCHANGED AFTER MANDALIKA

Ducati left the Indonesian Grand Prix with its MotoGP title deficit unchanged, turning a weekend team chief Gigi Dall’Igna described as a “major obstacle” into a valuable result. Marc Marquez remains two points behind championship leader Jorge Martin, with five rounds still to come.

Mandalika had looked especially difficult for Ducati, with Dall’Igna calling it perhaps the team’s worst circuit of the season and one that suited Aprilia. Marquez nevertheless seized an unexpected Sprint victory after Aprilia’s Raul Fernandez and Marco Bezzecchi collided at Turn 1, then race leader Martin had to drop back because of low front-tyre pressure. On Sunday, Aprilia showed its expected strength by taking the first four places, while Martin reclaimed the championship lead. Marquez finished sixth, the leading Ducati rider, limiting the damage on a track where he had never previously finished a Sunday race.

Dall’Igna called the weekend “not an easy” one but said it was positive because Ducati had taken opportunities and scored important points while on the defensive. The Sprint win and sixth place meant the team departed with its championship gap “completely unchanged”. He said Ducati had contained the damage through “pure skill and experience” on a circuit it knew would be difficult.

He singled out Marquez’s “brilliance”: being ready to take the win when the chance came, then managing critical moments and extracting the most from a bike that was not the strongest. “A major obstacle is now behind us, having suffered no damage,” Dall’Igna wrote, adding that Ducati felt stronger and better prepared.

The team’s wider results underlined the challenge. Dall’Igna said Ducati’s pace did not match the best, so its riders had to adapt, stay motivated and keep sight of the bigger picture. He praised their focus and clarity, as well as the humility to recognise the situation. The points haul, he said, brought a different kind of energy from a victory: confidence in the ability to fight through an unfavourable weekend.

With the title contest exceptionally close, Dall’Igna said every remaining race would matter. He described the narrow gap at this stage of the championship as unprecedented and called for the showdown to be decided with sportsmanship and fairness: “May the best man win.” The next round is at Phillip Island, from October 23 to 25.