MARQUEZ SEEKS TO END MANDALIKA’S RUN OF MISFORTUNE

Marc Marquez arrives at Mandalika looking to turn around a difficult record at the Indonesian Grand Prix. Since the circuit joined the MotoGP calendar in 2022, he has scored just 11 points across four events and has yet to finish a Sunday race there. The challenge comes after his double victory in Japan, with Marquez only two points behind championship leader Jorge Martin before the Indonesian round—the closest gap between the top two after 16 events in a season.

His Mandalika history has been marked by crashes and mechanical trouble. In 2022, a heavy highside at Turn 7 during Sunday morning warm-up ruled him out of the race and the following Grand Prix in Argentina. He crashed out of both the sprint and the main race in 2023. The next year brought a brighter moment, as he finished third in the sprint, but a technical problem ended his Sunday race early.

Last season, Marquez reached Indonesia as newly crowned world champion after securing the title in Japan. A long-lap penalty left him sixth in the sprint. In the Grand Prix, Marco Bezzecchi took him out on the opening lap, ending Marquez’s race and his season. Bezzecchi had won the sprint, but made contact with the rear of Marquez’s Ducati as he pushed too hard after a poor start. Both riders crashed, and Marquez suffered a broken collarbone and shoulder fracture that required further treatment.

Marquez acknowledged the pattern but said he had also suffered bad luck. “Of course, I’ve never finished a main race there; but I’ve also had a bit of bad luck,” he said. He recalled feeling reasonably comfortable in last year’s sprint despite the penalty and added that his confidence on the bike had improved: “Step by step I feel better, and since Aragon the feeling on the bike has been great.”

This time, he says, he has arrived with “completely different conditions” from last year. His aim is to focus on the present, get the weekend started well and work effectively with his team. “Last year I felt better and better as the weekend went on. That’s the goal for this year too,” he said. Asked whether he would attack or limit the damage in the title fight, Marquez was clear: “As I said in Motegi, I’ll try to attack at every track—that’s the goal here too.” He recognises that Mandalika appears to suit Aprilia better and said his target is to stay close to its riders.

Bezzecchi, 49 points behind the championship leader, said it was too early to predict how the weekend would unfold. The Aprilia rider, who won the 2025 sprint before crashing in the Grand Prix, said conditions vary each year and urged a calm start: “We have to try to start the weekend with the same mentality and get the best out of it.” Although he is further back in the standings, he said that would not change his approach: he wants to do his best in the races and remain in the championship fight.

Bezzecchi also welcomed MotoGP’s planned 2027 weekend format, which will include two qualifying sessions. He said it would be physically demanding, but liked that a poor Friday would not necessarily compromise both races: “For me it’s good and I’m happy about it.”

Alex Marquez, meanwhile, is looking to put a difficult Motegi weekend behind him after a sprint crash he caused brought a double long-lap penalty. He said Mandalika presents a different challenge, particularly in adapting to the rear tyre: “We want to avoid mistakes and make the most of our potential. We want the pace to achieve a good result.” The new asphalt helped in Motegi, he noted, but Mandalika has a different rear-tyre construction and grip conditions, with grip at the tyre’s edge especially important.

On the 2027 format changes, Alex said riders’ views were unlikely to alter the decision: “It’s a case of accepting it or leaving MotoGP.” He expects more time on track and greater risk, and said it was impossible to unite all 22 riders behind one position, particularly with manufacturers exerting pressure and riders’ contracts complicating discussions. He added that format changes should be made before contracts are signed. Alex also said the traditional warm-up was not essential for him, describing it mainly as a chance to check a bike after a Saturday crash. With more time to reach the grid in 2027, he said, riders would have to accept the change.