News Summary
- Ducati says losing 10-12 points to Jorge Martín at Mandalika could be considered an acceptable result for Marc Márquez
- Tardozzi admits the Indonesian circuit does not properly suit the GP26, with Aprilia expected to be particularly competitive
- Martín leads Márquez by only 333 points to 331 after the Ducati rider completed a perfect Motegi weekend
Ducati will target victory at the Indonesian GP, but team manager Davide Tardozzi admits the manufacturer would consider Marc Márquez losing 10-12 points to Jorge Martín an acceptable outcome given the characteristics of Mandalika.
The unusually cautious assessment comes immediately after Márquez completed a perfect Japanese GP weekend, winning both the sprint and Sunday’s race to reduce Martín’s championship advantage from 12 points to only two.
Martín arrives in Indonesia with 333 points to Márquez’s 331, meaning another 10-point swing would rebuild his advantage to 12 before the championship moves on to Australia.
Ducati, however, already expects the competitive balance to be different from Motegi.
“Mandalika doesn’t suit our bike properly,” Tardozzi said.
Asked what Ducati would consider a satisfactory result in Indonesia, the Italian provided a surprisingly specific answer.
“I think that losing 10, 12 points could be considered not bad,” he said.
Tardozzi immediately clarified that Ducati is not travelling to Indonesia intending simply to limit the damage.
“I would like to finish with one thing. Yeah, we can consider that 10, 12 points could be a normal loss in Mandalika — but we go there to win.”
Ducati expects Aprilia to be stronger at Mandalika
Tardozzi’s comments reflect a concern Ducati had already expressed throughout the Japanese GP weekend.
The manufacturer expected Motegi’s heavy braking and acceleration zones to provide a favourable environment for the GP26 and needed to maximise that opportunity before travelling directly to Indonesia. Márquez did exactly that.
The reigning champion collected all 37 points available in Japan, beating Martín in both the sprint and Grand Prix. The Aprilia rider nevertheless finished second in both races and limited his championship loss to 10 points.
Mandalika presents a very different combination of corners. The Indonesian circuit is considerably more flowing than Motegi and places greater emphasis on corner speed, direction changes and edge grip, characteristics that can work particularly well with the Aprilia RS-GP.
MotoGP itself described Mandalika as an “Aprilia-favoured venue” after the Japanese GP.
That gives Martín an immediate opportunity to respond to Márquez’s Motegi momentum. As GRANDE PRÊMIO detailed ahead of the Indonesian GP, the championship leader also returns to a circuit where he has already won, while his rival’s record could hardly be more different.
Márquez has never finished the Indonesian GP
Mandalika has been uniquely difficult for Márquez.
He has never finished a Sunday MotoGP race at the Indonesian circuit, with his previous visits producing major crashes, injuries and mechanical trouble.
His first appearance in 2022 ended before the Grand Prix even started after a violent warm-up highside ruled him out of the race and triggered another episode of diplopia.
Márquez crashed again during the 2023 Grand Prix before an engine problem ended his Sunday after moving to Gresini Ducati in 2024.
The situation became even worse in 2025. Márquez arrived in Indonesia having already secured the world championship at Motegi, but was involved in a first-lap collision with Marco Bezzecchi and suffered another serious shoulder injury that ultimately required surgery.
That history is why Mandalika stands out among every circuit remaining in the 2026 championship.
The machinery, however, is not necessarily the problem.
Ducati has won the last three Indonesian Grands Prix. Francesco Bagnaia won in 2023, Martín triumphed for Pramac Ducati in 2024 and Fermín Aldeguer took victory for Gresini last season.
Márquez’s difficulties have therefore been unusually personal rather than evidence that Ducati cannot succeed at Mandalika.
Tardozzi believes Márquez can limit the damage
Ducati’s caution does not mean the team doubts its leading rider.
Tardozzi believes Márquez’s ability to understand the motorcycle and communicate with his engineers gives him a particularly strong chance of extracting the maximum possible result even when the circuit does not favour the GP26.
“In the end, again, he’s a leader,” Tardozzi said. “He’s a leader inside the garage. He knows how to push the people, and he knows how to be helped by the people.”
The Ducati manager also highlighted the way Márquez approaches technical problems, arguing that his ability to identify what the bike does well can be as important as focusing on its limitations.
“It’s how he relates to the people of the team, how he explains the problems and how he underlines the good points of the bike that could help him more than managing the problems,” he continued. “Because sometimes it’s better that you focus on the good things more than thinking about the problems.”
That becomes particularly important this weekend because Márquez does not necessarily need to beat Martín to leave Indonesia in a strong championship position.
With six rounds remaining, Ducati’s priority is to prevent a difficult circuit from undoing the enormous progress Márquez made at Motegi.
Losing 12 points would still leave Márquez close
The championship mathematics explain Tardozzi’s position.
If Márquez leaves Mandalika 10 points behind Martín across the weekend, his championship deficit would increase from two to 12. A 12-point loss would leave him 14 behind.
Neither scenario would be decisive with five rounds still remaining after Indonesia.
The calendar also offers Márquez an immediate opportunity to respond. Phillip Island follows Mandalika, and Australia has historically been one of his strongest circuits.
That contrast is part of the reason the six remaining MotoGP tracks do not clearly favour either Márquez or Martín. Mandalika appears to offer Martín an advantage, while Phillip Island provides a considerably stronger historical reference for Márquez.
Ducati can therefore afford to think beyond a single weekend.
A difficult Indonesian GP would hurt Márquez considerably less if he limits the loss before reaching circuits better suited to him and the GP26.
The Indonesian GP takes place from October 9-11 at Mandalika, with the sprint on Saturday and Grand Prix on Sunday.
GRANDE PRÊMIO provides full coverage of the MotoGP championship throughout the Indonesian GP weekend.
MotoGP today: FAQ
Who leads the 2026 MotoGP championship?
Jorge Martín leads the 2026 MotoGP World Championship with 333 points, just two ahead of Marc Márquez on 331. The gap was reduced at Motegi, where Márquez won both the sprint and Japanese GP.
What time is the Indonesian MotoGP at Mandalika?
The Indonesian GP starts at 15:00 local time on Sunday, October 11. That is 08:00 in the UK, 03:00 ET in the US and Canada and 12:30 in India. Saturday’s sprint also starts at 15:00 local time.
Has Marc Márquez ever won at Mandalika?
No. Márquez has never won or even finished the Sunday MotoGP race at Mandalika. His previous Indonesian GPs have been affected by crashes, injury and mechanical trouble. He arrives in 2026 only two points behind Martín.
Why would Ducati accept Márquez losing points to Martín in Indonesia?
Ducati believes Mandalika does not particularly suit the GP26 and expects Aprilia to be strong. Team manager Davide Tardozzi said losing 10-12 points could therefore be considered an acceptable outcome, although Ducati will still target victory.
