MOTO GP

Bezzecchi Shines in Mandalika

Italian rider Marco Bezzecchi secured Italy's 300th victory at the Indonesian Grand Prix, leading an Aprilia 1-2-3 finish at the Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit ahead of Spaniards Raúl Fernández and Jorge Martín. Martín reclaimed the lead in the 2026 MotoGP World Championship, edging past his compatriot Marc Márquez by just two points.

Before the start, the absence of Aleix Espargaró was confirmed; he is still recovering and chose not to push himself to participate, opting instead to focus on testing the Aprilia 850cc bike at Sepang. The race also saw two significant crashes: Augusto Fernández and Francesco Bagnaia fell at different times, triggering yellow flags.

Marc Márquez, who briefly held third place early on, was overtaken by Martín and subsequently by Pedro Acosta and Ai Ogura, ultimately finishing sixth. The battle for the championship lead between Márquez and Martín was intense, featuring position swaps during the race, but the Aprilia rider eventually conceded the lead to his teammate.

Diogo Moreira had an understated race, starting in 19th and climbing to 16th place, just outside the points-scoring zone. The Brazilian rider continues to gain experience in the premier class but is still seeking more significant results.

The race's top 10 was rounded out by Ai Ogura, Pedro Acosta, Marc Márquez, Álex Márquez, Fabio di Giannantonio, Fabio Quartararo, and Enea Bastianini. Following the Indonesian GP, ​​MotoGP takes a break and returns from October 23 to 25 for the Australian GP, ​​the final round at the Phillip Island circuit.

Marco Bezzecchi got a slightly better start than pole-sitter Raúl Fernández, but Fernández regained the lead exiting Turn 1. Meanwhile, Marc Márquez moved up to third ahead of Fabio Di Giannantonio, Fermín Aldeguer, and Jorge Martín; behind them, Álex Márquez overtook Ai Ogura, who was also passed shortly after by Pedro Acosta.

Aldeguer overtook Di Giannantonio—who was also passed by Martín on the second lap—while Acosta pulled away from Álex Márquez. Everyone gained a position when Aldeguer crashed at the end of the second lap.

Fernández and Bezzecchi began to pull away from Marc Márquez. Márquez was then caught off guard by Martín, who made a bold move from a distance to snatch the podium spot on the third lap, with Acosta lurking close behind after passing 'Diggia'.

While Jack Miller and Pecco Bagnaia crashed in quick succession behind them, Acosta overtook Marc Márquez on the eighth lap. Further ahead, Bezzecchi began closing the gap to Fernández, getting within half a second.

Just before the halfway point, Acosta appeared to let Márquez pass him, but he returned the favor on the following lap and reclaimed fourth place. It became clear that Acosta was struggling with tire pressure issues, as he allowed Márquez to pass him again a few laps later, while Ogura overtook Diggia. The race's first crash occurred on the second lap. Aldeguer lost his balance and fell at Turn 16—a low-speed section—triggering a brief yellow flag. With the Gresini Spaniard out of the picture, Martín attacked and easily overtook Márquez for third place, momentarily creating an Aprilia 1-2-3.

By the fifth of 27 laps, Fernández held a comfortable 0.7-second lead over Bezzecchi. Martín was trying to close the gap but remained some distance back. Márquez was attempting to stay close to his title rival while coming under pressure from Acosta, who was running fifth. Further back, Moreira had climbed to 16th, just one spot outside the points.

Shortly after, two more crashes and yellow flags occurred, with Miller going down at Turn 2 and Bagnaia at Turn 17.

On Lap 7, Acosta overtook Márquez, dropping the Ducati rider to fifth place—a scenario that handed the championship lead back to Martín.

As the race approached the halfway mark on Lap 13, Fernández remained in the lead, though his advantage over Bezzecchi had shrunk to 0.3 seconds. Martín held third, unable to close in on his Aprilia teammate, while Márquez executed a counter-move to reclaim fourth place from Acosta. Moreira was running 15th.

While Bezzecchi began his attack on Fernández in earnest, Acosta overtook Márquez again on Lap 15, pushing the Ducati rider back to fifth.

Bezzecchi dived down the inside at Turn 1, capitalizing on Fernández running wide to take the lead and pull away, while Márquez and Acosta continued to swap fourth place. But this paved the way for Ogura to close the gap; he managed to overtake Márquez and move up to fifth on lap 22.

With eight laps remaining, Bezzecchi launched an attack on Fernández to take the lead; the Spaniard made a small error at that moment, allowing the Italian to immediately pull away. Behind them, Acosta overtook Márquez again, and this time Ogura seized the opportunity to pass the number 93 rider with five laps to go.

Marco Bezzecchi rode on to secure the victory, while Raúl Fernández easily finished second; Jorge Martín rounded out the podium, and Ai Ogura overtook Pedro Acosta in the closing stages to complete the Aprilia quartet.

Marc Márquez scored 10 points by finishing sixth, well ahead of the Ducatis ridden by Álex Márquez and Fabio Di Giannantonio, both of whom struggled in the final laps. Fabio Quartararo and Enea Bastianini rounded out the top 10.

Ultimately, Marco Bezzecchi returned to winning ways, triumphing at the Indonesian GP—his first victory since the Italian GP on May 31. Raúl Fernández and Jorge Martín completed the podium. The top 10 was rounded out by Ai Ogura, Pedro Acosta, Marc Márquez, Álex Márquez, Fabio Di Giannantonio, Fabio Quartararo, and Enea Bastianini. Diogo Moreira finished 16th.

Fermín Aldeguer will require surgery after fracturing his right hand during the MotoGP Indonesian GP. The Gresini rider crashed at Turn 16 after gaining two positions at the start. The Spaniard will return to Barcelona to undergo the medical procedure.

The team confirmed that the fracture is at the base of the first metacarpal of his right hand. The accident capped off a difficult weekend in Mandalika, marked by four crashes in MotoGP. The Spaniard had previously won the Indonesian GP, ​​but was unable to repeat that result this season.

This new injury adds to other physical issues he has faced throughout the year. Even before the championship began, the rider fractured his left femur during training, missing pre-season testing and the opening round in Thailand. Later, a vertebral fracture sustained at the Dutch GP sidelined him for three races.

More recently, the Spaniard underwent surgery to remove some of the metal hardware implanted in his left leg during the treatment of his initial injury. Now, he faces another recovery period before the final stretch of the season.

Currently tenth in the championship standings, the rider has two weeks until the next MotoGP event: the Australian GP at Phillip Island.

MotoGP now takes a break before resuming action from October 23 to 25 with the Australian GP, ​​marking the event's final edition at the Phillip Island circuit.

by: Autonews