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- Ducati says losing 10-12 points<\/strong> to Jorge Mart\u00edn at Mandalika could be considered an acceptable result for Marc M\u00e1rquez<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Tardozzi admits the Indonesian circuit does not properly suit the GP26<\/strong>, with Aprilia expected to be particularly competitive<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Mart\u00edn leads M\u00e1rquez by only 333 points to 331<\/strong> after the Ducati rider completed a perfect Motegi weekend<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Ducati will target victory at the Indonesian GP, but team manager Davide Tardozzi admits the manufacturer would consider Marc M\u00e1rquez losing 10-12 points to Jorge Mart\u00edn<\/strong> an acceptable outcome given the characteristics of Mandalika.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The unusually cautious assessment comes immediately after M\u00e1rquez completed a perfect Japanese GP weekend, winning both the sprint and Sunday’s race to reduce Mart\u00edn’s championship advantage from 12 points to only two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mart\u00edn arrives in Indonesia with 333 points to M\u00e1rquez’s 331<\/strong>, meaning another 10-point swing would rebuild his advantage to 12 before the championship moves on to Australia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ducati, however, already expects the competitive balance to be different from Motegi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMandalika doesn’t suit our bike properly,\u201d Tardozzi said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Asked what Ducati would consider a satisfactory result in Indonesia, the Italian provided a surprisingly specific answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think that losing 10, 12 points could be considered not bad,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tardozzi immediately clarified that Ducati is not travelling to Indonesia intending simply to limit the damage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI would like to finish with one thing. Yeah, we can consider that 10, 12 points could be a normal loss in Mandalika \u2014 but we go there to win.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ducati expects Aprilia to be stronger at Mandalika<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Tardozzi’s comments reflect a concern Ducati had already expressed throughout the Japanese GP weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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. M\u00e1rquez did exactly that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The reigning champion collected all 37 points available in Japan<\/strong>, beating Mart\u00edn in both the sprint and Grand Prix. The Aprilia rider nevertheless finished second in both races and limited his championship loss to 10 points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
MotoGP itself described Mandalika as an \u201cAprilia-favoured venue\u201d<\/strong> after the Japanese GP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That gives Mart\u00edn an immediate opportunity to respond to M\u00e1rquez’s Motegi momentum. As GRANDE PR\u00caMIO<\/a><\/strong> detailed ahead of the Indonesian GP<\/a>, the championship leader also returns to a circuit where he has already won, while his rival’s record could hardly be more different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/AFP__20261002__C9ZV3N2__v1__MidRes__MotoPrixJpn-1024x683.jpg\")
Jorge Mart\u00edn (Photo: AFP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n M\u00e1rquez has never finished the Indonesian GP<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Mandalika has been uniquely difficult for M\u00e1rquez.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He has never finished a Sunday MotoGP race at the Indonesian circuit<\/strong>, with his previous visits producing major crashes, injuries and mechanical trouble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
M\u00e1rquez crashed again during the 2023 Grand Prix before an engine problem ended his Sunday after moving to Gresini Ducati in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The situation became even worse in 2025. M\u00e1rquez 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That history is why Mandalika stands out among every circuit remaining in the 2026 championship<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The machinery, however, is not necessarily the problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ducati has won the last three Indonesian Grands Prix<\/strong>. Francesco Bagnaia won in 2023, Mart\u00edn triumphed for Pramac Ducati in 2024 and Ferm\u00edn Aldeguer took victory for Gresini last season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
M\u00e1rquez’s difficulties have therefore been unusually personal rather than evidence that Ducati cannot succeed at Mandalika.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tardozzi believes M\u00e1rquez can limit the damage<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Ducati’s caution does not mean the team doubts its leading rider.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tardozzi believes M\u00e1rquez’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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn the end, again, he’s a leader,\u201d Tardozzi said. \u201cHe’s a leader inside the garage. He knows how to push the people, and he knows how to be helped by the people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Ducati manager also highlighted the way M\u00e1rquez approaches technical problems, arguing that his ability to identify what the bike does well can be as important as focusing on its limitations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt’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,\u201d he continued. \u201cBecause sometimes it’s better that you focus on the good things more than thinking about the problems.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That becomes particularly important this weekend because M\u00e1rquez does not necessarily need to beat Mart\u00edn to leave Indonesia in a strong championship position<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With six rounds remaining, Ducati’s priority is to prevent a difficult circuit from undoing the enormous progress M\u00e1rquez made at Motegi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Losing 12 points would still leave M\u00e1rquez close<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The championship mathematics explain Tardozzi’s position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If M\u00e1rquez leaves Mandalika 10 points behind Mart\u00edn across the weekend<\/strong>, his championship deficit would increase from two to 12. A 12-point loss would leave him 14 behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Neither scenario would be decisive with five rounds still remaining after Indonesia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The calendar also offers M\u00e1rquez an immediate opportunity to respond. Phillip Island follows Mandalika, and Australia has historically been one of his strongest circuits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That contrast is part of the reason the six remaining MotoGP tracks do not clearly favour either M\u00e1rquez or Mart\u00edn<\/a>. Mandalika appears to offer Mart\u00edn an advantage, while Phillip Island provides a considerably stronger historical reference for M\u00e1rquez.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ducati can therefore afford to think beyond a single weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A difficult Indonesian GP would hurt M\u00e1rquez considerably less if he limits the loss before reaching circuits better suited to him and the GP26.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Tardozzi admits the Indonesian circuit does not properly suit the GP26<\/strong>, with Aprilia expected to be particularly competitive<\/li>\n\n\n\n