MARQUEZ STAYS IN MARTIN’S TITLE FIGHT AS APRILIA SWEEPS INDONESIA

Aprilia dominated the Indonesian Grand Prix, taking the top four places in a landmark result, while Marc Marquez left Mandalika having limited the damage in the MotoGP title fight. Marco Bezzecchi won, Jorge Martin finished third and Marquez sixth. Martin’s advantage over Marquez stood at two points with five races remaining.

The weekend had looked difficult for Marquez from the outset. He had never previously finished a grand prix at Mandalika, where he had suffered serious injuries twice, and Ducati’s bike was poorly suited to Michelin’s reinforced tyres. He nevertheless won Saturday’s sprint after Bezzecchi and Raul Fernandez collided at Turn 1 and Martin had to manage a front-tyre pressure issue. Martin briefly had the pace to challenge, but ran wide at Turn 16 on the penultimate lap and fell from second to fourth. Marquez took the win and a four-point championship lead, though Martin’s third place in Sunday’s race restored his two-point advantage.

Aprilia’s strength had been expected at Mandalika, and Trackhouse rider Fernandez underlined it by taking the first pole position of his career. Bezzecchi returned to winning ways for the first time since May’s Italian Grand Prix, beating Fernandez, who was injured in their sprint collision the previous day. Ai Ogura completed the top four. The result revived Bezzecchi’s title hopes, although he remained 46 points behind with five rounds left.

The victory was not the full haul Bezzecchi’s camp had privately hoped for. MotoGP commentator Matt Birt said people in the rider’s garage viewed the weekend as a potential maximum-points opportunity, worth 37 across the sprint and grand prix. The Turn 1 crash ended Bezzecchi’s sprint before he could score, and Aprilia subsequently brought him and Fernandez together for a meeting at which both apologised to the team. Bezzecchi gained only three points on Martin over the weekend, leaving him third in the standings.

Aprilia Racing CEO Massimo Rivola acknowledged the team’s part in Martin’s sprint setback, calling the front-tyre pressure handling “a serious error” and saying: “we owe him an apology.” He described the weekend as one of “high drama”, but said Sunday was “a day to remember” after the four-bike sweep. Rivola added that Aprilia would not get carried away by the result, just as it would not lose heart when things went badly.

Marquez said the final points tally exceeded his expectations. “On Thursday, if you said to me, over the whole weekend, I’d lost just three points to [Marco] Bezzecchi and equal Martin, it was a dream,” he said. He added that the team had been consistent despite struggling in the latter part of the race, and that he was pleased with how the weekend ended.

Former rider Dani Pedrosa identified an unusual weakness in Marquez’s Sunday performance: corner entry. “It’s true that he’s been struggling going into the corners, which is normally his strong point; we’ve seen him being more cautious than usual, a bit weaker under heavy braking,” Pedrosa said. He wondered whether excessive front-tyre pressure had reduced Marquez’s grip, but said the rider’s feeling was poor and he had to focus on getting through the race. Marquez denied having a tyre-pressure problem. After swapping places with Pedro Acosta, who was affected by the issue, Marquez was also passed by Acosta and a fast-finishing Ogura.

The exchanges with Acosta prompted speculation that Marquez was playing a tactical game. Acosta needed to follow another bike to build tyre temperature, and Mat Oxley suggested on the Oxley Bom podcast that Marquez may have been unwilling to help. “You’re going to go in front of me, I’m not going to heat up your front tyre for you, why should I?” Oxley imagined Marquez thinking. He described the move as characteristic of the rider’s “brain”, while making clear it was speculation.

Oxley also said Marquez unsettled Martin in qualifying by following him during their second runs. Martin was down the order and needed to push, but reportedly tried to let Marquez through; Marquez stayed behind, leaving Martin to continue his lap. Oxley said the episode “blew his mind” and got “in his head massively”.

Pedrosa said sixth was not a strong result, particularly given the gap between Aprilia and Ducati, but considered Marquez’s overall weekend positive. He said Ducati must now work with Marquez and general manager Gigi Dall’Igna to decide whether the team can provide something extra or must focus on extracting more through set-up.

Martin faces a close title contest against a rival who has repeatedly made the most of difficult weekends. He said consistency, speed and intelligence would all matter, adding: “There is something missing every race – a little bit missing every race. I hope this is not what I will miss after the season finishes.” He was still pleased to be regularly scoring points and reaching the podium. Marquez’s sprint win had put pressure on Martin, whose late error cost him a chance to finish second.

Aprilia’s depth has sharpened the debate over team orders. Fernandez had been strong in qualifying and might have won the sprint, while Bezzecchi took the grand prix victory. Technical director Fabio Sterlacchini said it was not yet time to decide, with a decision expected after one or two more races. Ducati team manager Davide Tardozzi said he had “no doubt that sooner or later Aprilia will issue team orders”, calling the move logical. The question is whether Aprilia can afford to put sentiment ahead of its best chance to win the title, with Marquez still firmly in contention.