MARQUEZ TAKES RESPONSIBILITY FOR DUCATI’S MANDALIKA TRACTION WOES

Marc Marquez left the Indonesian Grand Prix encouraged by his weekend overall, despite a difficult Sunday and persistent traction problems on Ducati’s bike. He refused to pin those issues on the set-up, telling team manager Davide Tardozzi: “It’s not the set-up… it’s me. I know it.”

The response came after Tardozzi suggested Marquez consider changes to both his body position and the motorcycle to find more grip. The concern followed a Friday practice session in which Marquez had sounded hopeful, saying a more rubbered-in track should suit him because he relies heavily on lean angle. But traction remained a challenge on Saturday, as Aprilia’s advantage became apparent.

Marquez qualified fourth, then took an unexpected Sprint win after Aprilia riders Raul Fernandez and Marco Bezzecchi, along with title rival Jorge Martin, encountered trouble. Sunday proved tougher: he finished sixth after a prolonged fight with Pedro Acosta, who was fifth and the leading rider outside the Aprilia group.

The heat made the Grand Prix especially demanding. “It felt like it would never end!” Marquez told his team, noting that the asphalt had reached 60 degrees. Acosta later explained that tyre-pressure problems had shaped their battle. He said the warning returned whenever he passed Marquez, forcing him to let the Ducati rider back through. Marquez joked that he had been comfortable behind Acosta, “but not in front!”

The result also marked a milestone for Marquez: he had never before finished a Sunday race at Mandalika. In the championship, he ended the weekend with the same two-point gap to Martin as when it began. Looking back, he said that before the event he would have considered it “a dream” to lose only three points to Bezzecchi while matching Martin’s points haul.

“In the worst circuit for us, we did a great weekend,” Marquez said. He now turns his attention to Phillip Island, where his pursuit of a tenth world title continues next weekend.