MARTIN AND MARQUEZ BRING TWO-POINT TITLE FIGHT TO MARQUEZ’S MANDALIKA TEST

The 2026 Indonesian Grand Prix arrives with the MotoGP title race finely balanced. Aprilia’s Jorge Martin leads Ducati rival Marc Marquez by just two points, 333 to 331, with round 17 of 22 taking place at Mandalika on October 9–11. Marquez comes to Indonesia after completing a double victory at Motegi, but his record at Mandalika is stark: he has scored no Sunday points in four previous visits and has yet to finish the Grand Prix. He was ruled out of the 2022 race after a warm-up highside, crashed out of both races in 2023, then finished third in the 2024 Sprint before an engine failure ended his Grand Prix. Last year, he qualified ninth and placed sixth in the Sprint before Marco Bezzecchi hit him on the opening lap of Sunday’s race, causing shoulder injuries that ended his season.

Marquez is keen to change that record. “The Japanese GP went well: we were competitive throughout and fought for the win with everything we had,” he said, adding that his feeling on the bike had been consistently good since Aragon. “On paper, Indonesia hasn't historically been my best track, and in the past, I've never managed to finish the main race; irony aside, the main objective with the team is precisely to reverse that trend and put together a strong weekend.”

Marco Bezzecchi is third on 284 points, but has not finished a Grand Prix ahead of both title contenders since winning at Mugello in round seven. He was third behind Marquez and Martin in Japan last weekend, after finishing sixth in the Sprint. Mandalika could offer him an opportunity to close the gap. Michelin is bringing a heat-resistant rear slick, and Aprilia has often performed well with the harder tyre carcass this season. Ducati, by contrast, has struggled with the heat-treated rear tyre, adding to doubts about Marquez’s prospects over the full race distance.

MotoGP News’ three expert writers all tipped Martin for pole, with one calling Mandalika a particularly good fit for the Aprilia RS-GP. Their Sprint predictions were split between Martin and Marquez to win, while all expected Bezzecchi to feature on the podium in at least one forecast. Despite Marquez’s difficult record, the experts did not rule out a strong result: one predicted he could win the Sprint by making the most of his ability on worn tyres; another said he could still win Sunday’s race, even while favouring Martin. Martin was the unanimous pick to win the Grand Prix. Ai Ogura was tipped by two writers to reach the Sunday podium, while Pedro Acosta also featured after his second place last year. Brad Binder, who climbed from 15th on the grid to fourth in 2025, was named as a possible surprise. Fermin Aldeguer was another candidate after his breakthrough win at the circuit.

Last year, Bezzecchi and Marquez both crashed out after contact on the opening lap. Bezzecchi, who had started from pole, misjudged his speed into Turn 10 while recovering from a poor start and struck Marquez from behind. Gresini rookie Aldeguer went on to claim his first MotoGP victory, beating Acosta by 6.987 seconds; Alex Marquez finished third.

Ducati team-mate Francesco Bagnaia, a former Mandalika Sprint and Grand Prix winner, also hopes for a reset after a difficult 2025 visit, when he qualified 16th, finished 14th in the Sprint and crashed out on Sunday. He has not scored a Sprint or Grand Prix podium in the past seven rounds. After finishing eighth at Motegi, Bagnaia said: “At Motegi, we managed to bring home more solid points, though I have to admit I struggled a lot with my riding.” He added that he had been fast and successful at Mandalika before, despite last year’s struggles, and said the aim was to recover his best feeling and return to “fighting for the positions that matter.”

This year’s Sprint is scheduled for Saturday, October 10, over 13 laps, with the 27-lap Grand Prix on Sunday, October 11. Both are due to start at 15:00 local time. Friday’s programme features FP1 at 10:45 and afternoon practice at 15:00. Saturday’s qualifying follows FP2, with Q1 at 10:50 and Q2 at 11:15. Sunday warm-up is set for 10:40. The schedule is local time in Indonesia; UK viewers can watch live coverage on TNT Sports, with the Sprint replay also due on Quest. TNT Sports and MotoGP are expected to publish free highlights on YouTube.

Hot conditions are forecast across the weekend, with temperatures potentially reaching 34°C on Sunday. There is a chance of thunderstorms during Friday practice, while Saturday carries a lower rain risk. Sunday’s race forecast is cooler, around 27°C, but still includes a 25% chance of rain. The circuit is 4.3km long, with 17 corners and a 723-metre main straight, on Lombok Island in West Nusa Tenggara.

Honda will field test rider Aleix Espargaro in place of Joan Mir, who remains unwell after missing the Austrian and Japanese rounds. It will be Espargaro’s first race of the season and his sixth MotoGP appearance for Honda since becoming a test rider in 2025. Takaaki Nakagami covered for Mir in Austria, while Somkiat Chantra took the Japanese seat. Chantra is unavailable in Indonesia because the event clashes with WorldSBK in Portugal.