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- Aprilia secured the top three positions<\/strong> in Friday’s Indonesian MotoGP Practice, led by Ra\u00fal Fern\u00e1ndez’s record lap of 1:28.725.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Jorge Mart\u00edn finished third, 0.220s ahead of championship rival Marc M\u00e1rquez<\/strong>, who placed fifth.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- M\u00e1rquez trails Mart\u00edn by only two points<\/strong> and faces a circuit where Ducati expects Aprilia to be particularly competitive.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Marc M\u00e1rquez arrived at the Indonesian GP knowing Mandalika could be one of the most difficult circuits remaining in the 2026 MotoGP championship. Friday’s Practice provided the first evidence of why: Aprilia occupied the top three positions<\/a>, while the Ducati rider finished 0.701s off the fastest time<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ra\u00fal Fern\u00e1ndez led the session with a new Mandalika lap record of 1:28.725, followed by Marco Bezzecchi and championship leader Jorge Mart\u00edn. Pedro Acosta placed fourth for KTM, leaving M\u00e1rquez fifth and separated from his title rival by 0.220s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The result did not decide anything ahead of Saturday’s sprint, but it confirmed that Mart\u00edn may have more than one Aprilia capable of fighting at the front<\/strong>. With only two points separating the championship leaders, the presence of Fern\u00e1ndez and Bezzecchi could become an important factor in the distribution of points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aprilia’s advantage is bigger than Mart\u00edn alone<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Aprilia’s performance at Mandalika was not limited to one particularly strong lap from Mart\u00edn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fern\u00e1ndez dominated the final phase of Practice, becoming the first rider to break the 1:29 barrier before improving to 1:28.725. Bezzecchi finished second, 0.219s behind, while Mart\u00edn completed the manufacturer’s first top-three sweep in a MotoGP Practice session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The three riders compete with different teams and have different championship objectives, but their results point towards a common strength in the Aprilia package.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mandalika’s flowing layout rewards corner speed, stability and the ability to maintain momentum through long-radius turns<\/strong>, characteristics that can favour the RS-GP. Ducati’s advantage in braking and acceleration, which proved particularly effective at Motegi, may be less decisive in Indonesia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As GRANDE PR\u00caMIO<\/a><\/strong> reported in Friday’s complete Practice results<\/a>, all three Aprilia riders finished ahead of M\u00e1rquez, although the Ducati rider secured direct qualification for Q2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
M\u00e1rquez already expected Mandalika to be difficult<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
M\u00e1rquez had warned before the weekend that the Indonesian circuit would present a greater challenge than recent races.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking to Spanish newspaper AS<\/em>, the eight-time world champion acknowledged that the layout was not ideally suited to his motorcycle or riding style.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI’m not ruling anything out from the start this weekend, but it should be a little more difficult for us than at other circuits because of the track layout, the bike and my riding style. But we’ll see. We need to start on Friday and build things up little by little.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He also compared Mandalika with Silverstone and Assen, two venues where he has traditionally faced difficulties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI like this circuit more than Silverstone and Assen, especially Assen. Assen is the one I’ve struggled with the most. I like this one a little more,\u201d M\u00e1rquez said. \u201cIn fact, I finished on the podium here in 2024 with Gresini, in the sprint. We’ll see. We’ll try to get as close as possible, but it’s true that this circuit is more in the style of Assen and Silverstone. Here, both in theory and in practice, on paper Aprilia should be very fast.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Friday’s results were consistent with that assessment. Aprilia led the session, while M\u00e1rquez finished behind three RS-GPs and Acosta’s KTM<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/MARC-MARQUEZ-1024x682.jpg\")
Marc M\u00e1rquez (Photo: Michelin)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Bezzecchi and Fern\u00e1ndez could influence the title fight<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The presence of two additional Aprilias near the front creates a complication for M\u00e1rquez.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mart\u00edn does not necessarily need to win both races to extend his championship advantage. If Fern\u00e1ndez and Bezzecchi remain competitive, they could occupy positions between the championship contenders and increase the points difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Saturday’s sprint, first place is worth 12 points, second nine and third seven. A result in which Mart\u00edn finishes ahead of M\u00e1rquez with other riders separating them could therefore create a larger championship swing than a straightforward battle between the two Spaniards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, Fern\u00e1ndez and Bezzecchi are racing for their own results<\/strong>, and their Friday performance does not guarantee they will finish ahead of M\u00e1rquez in either race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bezzecchi remains third in the championship, 49 points behind Mart\u00edn, and has made clear that he intends to continue fighting for victories rather than change his approach because of the leading pair’s title battle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fern\u00e1ndez, meanwhile, has an opportunity to convert his record-breaking Friday pace into a strong result for Trackhouse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1-55577116587_91e2ed3ed1_h-1024x646.webp\")
Marco Bezzecchi (Photo: Michelin)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Qualifying could make Aprilia’s advantage more significant<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Both Mart\u00edn and M\u00e1rquez qualified directly for Q2, but their positions on the starting grid could have a major influence on Saturday’s sprint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mandalika combines fast direction changes with sections where overtaking requires precise positioning and strong corner-exit speed. Starting behind several competitive Aprilias could therefore make M\u00e1rquez’s task more difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Ducati rider has repeatedly demonstrated his ability to recover positions during races, but the shorter sprint provides less time to compensate for a poor starting position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mart\u00edn leads the championship with 333 points to M\u00e1rquez’s 331<\/strong>, meaning the Ducati rider needs to gain at least three points on his rival to move ahead outright on Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Friday’s Practice established Aprilia as the early benchmark. Saturday’s qualifying will determine whether M\u00e1rquez can start close enough to challenge the manufacturer’s leading riders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The complete Indonesian MotoGP schedule, including qualifying and broadcast information<\/a> is available in GRANDE PR\u00caMIO<\/strong>‘s weekend guide. GRANDE PR\u00caMIO<\/strong> provides full coverage of the MotoGP<\/a> championship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
MotoGP today: FAQ<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Who was fastest in Indonesian MotoGP Practice at Mandalika?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Ra\u00fal Fern\u00e1ndez topped Friday’s Practice with a new Mandalika lap record of 1:28.725, leading an Aprilia 1-2-3 ahead of Marco Bezzecchi and Jorge Mart\u00edn. Marc M\u00e1rquez finished fifth, 0.220s behind championship rival Mart\u00edn. All four qualified directly for Q2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Can Marc M\u00e1rquez take the MotoGP championship lead in Saturday’s sprint?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Yes. M\u00e1rquez trails Jorge Mart\u00edn by just two points, 331 to 333. The Ducati rider can move ahead by scoring at least three more points than Mart\u00edn during Saturday’s sprint. A M\u00e1rquez victory would guarantee the championship lead regardless of Mart\u00edn’s result.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What time is Indonesian MotoGP qualifying and the sprint on Saturday?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Qualifying begins at 10:50 local time on Saturday, October 10, equivalent to 03:50 BST in the UK and 22:50 EDT on Friday in the United States and Canada. The sprint starts at 15:00 local time, equivalent to 08:00 BST and 03:00 EDT on Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why is Aprilia so competitive at Mandalika?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Mandalika’s flowing corners and emphasis on maintaining corner speed can favour the Aprilia RS-GP. Fern\u00e1ndez, Bezzecchi and Mart\u00edn finished first, second and third in Friday’s Practice.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Aprilia occupied the top three positions in Indonesian MotoGP Practice, leaving Marc M\u00e1rquez 0.701s behind Ra\u00fal Fern\u00e1ndez as Jorge Mart\u00edn strengthened his position ahead of the sprint<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1020317440,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"42wp_featured_image_caption":"Ra\u00fal Fern\u00e1ndez","42wp_featured_image_credits":"AFP","42wp_featured_video":"","42wp_featured_image_hidden":false,"42wp_authors_list":[{"id":140,"location":""}],"footnotes":"","42wp_breaking_news":false},"categories":[38],"tags":[53,581,52,104],"42wp_author":[140],"class_list":["post-3647","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-motogp","tag-aprilia","tag-indonesian-gp","tag-jorge-martin","tag-marc-marquez","42wp_author-kaio-esteves"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3647","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3647"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3647\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3648,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3647\/revisions\/3648"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1020317440"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3647"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3647"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3647"},{"taxonomy":"42wp_author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/42wp_author?post=3647"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
- Jorge Mart\u00edn finished third, 0.220s ahead of championship rival Marc M\u00e1rquez<\/strong>, who placed fifth.<\/li>\n\n\n\n