{"id":3652,"date":"2026-10-09T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-09T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/?p=3652"},"modified":"2026-10-09T08:11:15","modified_gmt":"2026-10-09T11:11:15","slug":"marquez-reveals-which-aprilia-riders-he-wants-ahead-of-martin-in-motogp-title-fight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/motogp\/marquez-reveals-which-aprilia-riders-he-wants-ahead-of-martin-in-motogp-title-fight\/","title":{"rendered":"M\u00e1rquez reveals which Aprilia riders he wants ahead of Mart\u00edn in MotoGP title fight"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">News Summary<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Marc M\u00e1rquez says he would <strong>prefer Ra\u00fal Fern\u00e1ndez or Ai Ogura to lead Aprilia&#8217;s challenge<\/strong>, rather than Jorge Mart\u00edn or Marco Bezzecchi.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Ducati rider admits he is struggling more over a single lap but believes <strong>his race pace is consistent<\/strong> after finding a better setup at Mandalika.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>M\u00e1rquez finished fifth in Friday&#8217;s Practice, with <strong>just two points separating him from championship leader Mart\u00edn<\/strong> ahead of Saturday&#8217;s sprint.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Marc M\u00e1rquez has admitted that <strong>he would rather see Ra\u00fal Fern\u00e1ndez or Ai Ogura leading Aprilia&#8217;s challenge at the Indonesian GP than championship rival Jorge Mart\u00edn or Marco Bezzecchi<\/strong>, revealing how the manufacturer&#8217;s dominance at Mandalika could influence the 2026 MotoGP title fight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Aprilia occupied the top three positions in Friday&#8217;s Practice, with Fern\u00e1ndez setting a new circuit record ahead of Bezzecchi and Mart\u00edn. M\u00e1rquez finished fifth, 0.701s behind the Trackhouse rider and 0.220s slower than Mart\u00edn, but believes Ducati is closer to the front than he expected before the weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Speaking to reporters after the session, M\u00e1rquez laughed when asked about Fern\u00e1ndez&#8217;s performance and acknowledged that the identity of the leading Aprilia riders matters to his championship prospects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">M\u00e1rquez would rather see Fern\u00e1ndez or Ogura ahead<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fern\u00e1ndez&#8217;s performance provided an unusual opportunity for M\u00e1rquez. Although the Trackhouse rider competes on Aprilia machinery, he is not directly involved in the championship fight between the Ducati rider and Mart\u00edn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That makes his position potentially valuable to M\u00e1rquez if he can finish ahead of the championship leader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI&#8217;m happy for Raul,\u201d M\u00e1rquez said with a laugh. \u201cI mean, if an Aprilia needs to perform well, I would prefer Raul or [Ai] Ogura than the other two.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Spaniard also acknowledged that the RS-GP was particularly competitive through Mandalika&#8217;s flowing corners, which place greater emphasis on corner speed and maintaining momentum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBut we are only on Friday. As we know, all Aprilias are first, second, third; they are super-fast on these flowing corners, flowing tracks. \u201cLet&#8217;s see. [We&#8217;ll] try to work on our strong points.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Mart\u00edn leads M\u00e1rquez by only two points, 333 to 331<\/strong>, meaning the finishing order among the leading Aprilias could have a significant effect on Saturday&#8217;s sprint and Sunday&#8217;s Grand Prix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bezzecchi remains third in the championship, 49 points behind Mart\u00edn, while Fern\u00e1ndez and Ogura are competing primarily for their own results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">M\u00e1rquez says Ducati is closer than expected<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite finishing behind three Aprilias and Pedro Acosta&#8217;s KTM, M\u00e1rquez was encouraged by his first day at Mandalika.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The eight-time world champion had expected Ducati to struggle more than it did, particularly on a circuit where he has historically found it difficult to maintain the required corner speed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;At least we are there, in the middle of the group,\u201d M\u00e1rquez told. \u201cIt&#8217;s true that we are not the fastest ones, as we expected, but closer than what we thought yesterday. So, happy.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cFirst of all, my mood is another one. But it&#8217;s true that the feeling is better; I&#8217;m able to ride with more consistency.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">M\u00e1rquez explained that improvements discovered during the 2025 Indonesian GP weekend, before the crash that ended his season, had provided a better starting point for this year&#8217;s setup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cLast year we already understood a bit what I need on this track.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those changes have allowed him to ride more consistently, even though he continues to struggle when attempting to extract maximum performance over a single lap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1-55577080631_ca9a75f48b_h-1024x640.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1020317378\" srcset=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1-55577080631_ca9a75f48b_h-1024x640.webp 1024w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1-55577080631_ca9a75f48b_h-300x188.webp 300w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1-55577080631_ca9a75f48b_h-768x480.webp 768w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1-55577080631_ca9a75f48b_h-150x94.webp 150w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1-55577080631_ca9a75f48b_h.webp 1065w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Marc M\u00e1rquez (Photo: Michelin)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ducati&#8217;s race pace gives M\u00e1rquez hope for the sprint<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">M\u00e1rquez believes the biggest difference between his Ducati and the leading Aprilias is currently more evident in qualifying simulations than over longer runs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt&#8217;s true that on the race pace I feel consistent, but on the time attack is where I struggle more. So, let&#8217;s see if tomorrow we can improve.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Spaniard also highlighted how Mandalika&#8217;s surface changes as more rubber is deposited throughout the weekend, improving grip and potentially reducing the disadvantage he experiences early in the event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cLast year, what I noticed was during the weekend the track was always getting more and more rubbered, and the grip was better and better, I was closer and closer to the top guys. So, we need to understand well. It&#8217;s true that the warm-up is the practice where we have the best grip of a weekend, because we are coming from a sprint race.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That progression could be particularly important for M\u00e1rquez, who has already demonstrated strong race pace but needs to improve his qualifying performance to avoid starting behind several Aprilias.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">M\u00e1rquez believes two tenths could put Ducati in the top three<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">M\u00e1rquez identified a relatively small improvement as the difference between his current position and a potential front-row challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt&#8217;s true that last year&#8217;s data helped us to start with a better base this year, but still we need to improve some areas to be more consistent &#8211; not because I&#8217;m inconsistent, but to try to be a bit faster by one, two tenths, which gives us the opportunity to fight for the top five, top three.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That target is significant because <strong>M\u00e1rquez finished only 0.220s behind Mart\u00edn in Friday&#8217;s Practice<\/strong>, despite the larger gap to Fern\u00e1ndez&#8217;s record-breaking lap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Both championship contenders advanced directly to Q2, avoiding Saturday&#8217;s opening qualifying session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/motogp\/aprilia-locks-out-mandalika-top-three-as-martin-beats-marquez-in-motogp-practice\/\">GRANDE PR\u00caMIO<\/a><\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/motogp\/aprilia-locks-out-mandalika-top-three-as-martin-beats-marquez-in-motogp-practice\/\">reported in its complete Indonesian Practice coverage<\/a>, Fern\u00e1ndez led Bezzecchi and Mart\u00edn in Aprilia&#8217;s first top-three sweep of a MotoGP Practice session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/motogp\/indonesian-motogp-2026-mandalika-schedule-how-to-watch\/\">complete Indonesian MotoGP schedule, including qualifying and broadcast information<\/a> is available in <strong>GRANDE PR\u00caMIO<\/strong>&#8216;s weekend guide. <strong>GRANDE PR\u00caMIO<\/strong> provides full coverage of the <a href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/motogp\/\">MotoGP<\/a> championship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">MotoGP today: FAQ<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Who was fastest in Indonesian MotoGP Practice at Mandalika?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ra\u00fal Fern\u00e1ndez topped Friday&#8217;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<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Can Marc M\u00e1rquez take the MotoGP championship lead in Saturday&#8217;s sprint?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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&#8217;s sprint. A M\u00e1rquez victory would guarantee the championship lead regardless of Mart\u00edn&#8217;s result.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What time is Indonesian MotoGP qualifying and the sprint on Saturday?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Marc M\u00e1rquez admits he would rather see Ra\u00fal Fern\u00e1ndez or Ai Ogura leading Aprilia&#8217;s challenge at Mandalika, while revealing that Ducati&#8217;s race pace is stronger than expected<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1020317359,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"42wp_featured_image_caption":"Marc M\u00e1rquez","42wp_featured_image_credits":"Michelin","42wp_featured_video":"","42wp_featured_image_hidden":false,"42wp_authors_list":[{"id":7,"location":""}],"footnotes":"","42wp_breaking_news":false},"categories":[38],"tags":[53,52,104,180],"42wp_author":[7],"class_list":["post-3652","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-motogp","tag-aprilia","tag-jorge-martin","tag-marc-marquez","tag-raul-fernandez","42wp_author-victor-martins"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3652","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=3652"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3652\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3653,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3652\/revisions\/3653"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1020317359"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3652"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3652"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3652"},{"taxonomy":"42wp_author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/42wp_author?post=3652"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}