Winners and Losers: MotoGP 2026 Indonesian Grand Prix
The Indonesian Grand Prix comes to a close with Marco Bezzecchi taking victory and the championship battle continuing to intensify. DIVEBOMB picks through the winners and losers from Mandalika’s action-packed weekend.
Winner: Marco Bezzecchi
Marco Bezzecchi made his way to the front, with only Fernandez ahead. He briefly took the lead before the first corner, but Raul Fernandez reclaimed it.
Fortunately for the Italian rider, the two Aprilias stayed close out on track. By Lap 11, they had built a two-second gap over Jorge Martín, Pedro Acosta and Marc Márquez, who were busy battling for third place.
After several close calls, Bezzecchi finally took the lead on Lap 19. Fortunately, the Mandalika circuit’s proceedings played out in his favour as he took the win. In a special weekend, it also marked the 300th victory for an Italian rider in motorbike racing’s premier class.
Winner: Aprilia
Aprilia secured its first-ever 1-2-3-4 finish at Mandalika, marking a red letter day for the outfit in the season.
Starting from pole, Trackhouse Racing’s Raul Fernandez led the way and looked set to add another victory to his tally.
However, he struggled to build a comfortable gap as Marco Bezzecchi remained close behind for most of the race, maintaining a gap of around half a second. Bezzecchi eventually moved past Fernandez, who continued to shadow him until the chequered flag but ultimately fell short of reclaiming the lead.
Behind them, Jorge Martín and Marc Márquez battled for the final podium spot in the early stages, with the championship fight adding further significance to their contest.
After Saturday's results, Marc had taken the championship lead, but the race saw the positions change once again.
With just two laps remaining, the Márquez brothers found themselves in sixth and seventh, while Ai Ogura and Pedro Acosta were fighting for fourth. Martín, meanwhile, had secured his podium position and went on to reclaim the championship lead by just two points.
Ai Ogura, who started seventh, steadily worked his way through the field. After initially battling Alex Márquez, he progressed to a fight for fourth with Acosta, and ultimately held on to secure the position.
Winner: Marc Márquez
Márquez started by battling Martín before turning his attention to his future teammate, Acosta, where he lost the position before reclaiming it on Lap 14, only to lose it again on Lap 15.
One positive to take away from the race is that Márquez finally completed a race at Mandalika, having missed out on the race since 2022. Although he has lost the championship lead once again, he remains just two points behind Martín.
Loser: Fermín Aldeguer
Fermín Aldeguer gained two places on Lap 2, but his progress came to an abrupt end a lap later when he crashed at Turn 16, marking his fourth crash of the weekend. Turn 16 is also the track's longest braking zone.
It was also confirmed after the race that Aldeguer had suffered a fracture in his right hand, and would be travelling to Spain for surgery.
Loser: Francesco Bagnaia
Francesco Bagnaia was the last to retire from the session on Lap 6 at Turn 17.
“On a track like this, I feel the lack of rear-end grip and connection with the throttle that I've been experiencing even more, as being effective mid-corner is really important here.” Bagnaia shared via Ducati’s press release.
Loser: Pramac Racing
Jack Miller suffered another early retirement after crashing at Turn 2 on Lap 6. Having spent the opening laps in the lower half of the grid, he had a relatively quiet race before his run came to an abrupt end.
“It was pretty similar to Japan. I had a reasonably good feeling this morning, but as soon as we went out for the Sprint, the bike became almost unrideable.” Miller explained via Pramac’s Press release.
Toprak Razgatlıoğlu was also forced to retire on Lap 8 after experiencing pain in his right shoulder, preventing him from continuing the race.
With just two points separating the championship contenders and five rounds remaining, the title fight remains wide open, with Bezzecchi also in contention. The action heads to Phillip Island for the final time before MotoGP moves to Adelaide in 2027.
Catch the Australian Grand Prix on 18th October at 13:00 AEDT (04:00 BST) to follow MotoGP’s budding championship battle!
Edited by Vyas Ponnuri
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