{"id":3685,"date":"2026-10-09T16:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-09T19:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/?p=3685"},"modified":"2026-10-09T16:15:44","modified_gmt":"2026-10-09T19:15:44","slug":"motogp-today-aprilia-dominates-indonesia-as-marquez-faces-crucial-title-test","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/motogp\/motogp-today-aprilia-dominates-indonesia-as-marquez-faces-crucial-title-test\/","title":{"rendered":"MotoGP today: Aprilia dominates Indonesia as M\u00e1rquez faces crucial title test"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">News Summary<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Aprilia dominated Indonesian MotoGP Practice<\/strong>, with Ra\u00fal Fern\u00e1ndez setting a new Mandalika lap record ahead of Marco Bezzecchi and Jorge Mart\u00edn.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Marc M\u00e1rquez finished fifth<\/strong>, 0.220s behind championship leader Mart\u00edn, with only two points separating them in the standings.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Saturday&#8217;s qualifying and sprint could change the championship lead, with <strong>12 points available to the sprint winner<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">MotoGP&#8217;s Indonesian GP weekend began with <strong>Aprilia taking complete control of Friday&#8217;s Practice session at Mandalika<\/strong>, while the championship battle between Jorge Mart\u00edn and Marc M\u00e1rquez moved towards a potentially decisive Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ra\u00fal Fern\u00e1ndez set a new all-time circuit record of <strong>1:28.725<\/strong>, beating Marco Bezzecchi by 0.219s and Mart\u00edn by 0.481s. Pedro Acosta finished fourth for KTM, while M\u00e1rquez completed the top five on his Ducati, 0.701s behind Fern\u00e1ndez.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The results confirmed Aprilia&#8217;s expected competitiveness on Mandalika&#8217;s flowing layout, but also revealed a more complicated situation for the title contenders. Mart\u00edn leads M\u00e1rquez by just <strong>two points, 333 to 331<\/strong>, with both riders qualifying directly for Saturday&#8217;s Q2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Aprilia dominates Mandalika as Fern\u00e1ndez breaks lap record<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fern\u00e1ndez produced the fastest lap of Friday&#8217;s Practice to complete an Aprilia sweep of the top three positions, the first such result for the manufacturer in a MotoGP Practice session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bezzecchi finished second, while Mart\u00edn placed third to establish an early advantage over M\u00e1rquez.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The session also featured several crashes, including incidents involving Fabio Quartararo, Ferm\u00edn Aldeguer and Diogo Moreira. Despite falling, Quartararo recovered to finish seventh and qualify directly for Q2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><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\/\">published the complete Indonesian MotoGP Practice results<\/a>, including all 22 riders and their lap times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">M\u00e1rquez admits he would prefer Fern\u00e1ndez or Ogura ahead of Mart\u00edn<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">M\u00e1rquez acknowledged that Aprilia&#8217;s advantage was expected, but admitted that the identity of the riders finishing ahead could influence the championship battle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI&#8217;m happy for Raul,\u201d M\u00e1rquez said with a laugh after Friday&#8217;s session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\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 Ducati rider also explained that his race pace was more encouraging than his single-lap performance, having found a better starting setup using information collected during the 2025 Indonesian GP weekend.<\/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\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/motogp\/marquez-reveals-which-aprilia-riders-he-wants-ahead-of-martin-in-motogp-title-fight\/\">M\u00e1rquez&#8217;s complete explanation of Ducati&#8217;s pace and his preference among Aprilia riders<\/a><\/strong> is available in <strong>GRANDE PR\u00caMIO<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bagnaia takes final Q2 place as Moreira faces Q1<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Francesco Bagnaia secured the final automatic qualifying position after finishing 10th in Practice, narrowly ahead of \u00c1lex Rins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fern\u00e1ndez, Bezzecchi, Mart\u00edn, Acosta, Marc M\u00e1rquez, Fabio Di Giannantonio, Quartararo, \u00c1lex M\u00e1rquez, Franco Morbidelli and Bagnaia will advance directly to Q2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Moreira finished 19th after another crash and must compete in Q1, alongside riders including Ai Ogura, Brad Binder, Maverick Vi\u00f1ales and Enea Bastianini.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/motogp\/bagnaia-grabs-final-q2-spot-as-aprilia-dominates-indonesian-motogp-practice\/\">complete list of Indonesian MotoGP Q2 qualifiers and Q1 riders<\/a><\/strong> is available in the qualifying guide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Can M\u00e1rquez take the MotoGP championship lead on Saturday?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Yes. M\u00e1rquez can overtake Mart\u00edn in the standings during Saturday&#8217;s sprint<\/strong>, provided he scores at least three more points than his rival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The sprint awards 12 points to the winner, nine to second place and seven to third. A M\u00e1rquez victory would guarantee the championship lead regardless of Mart\u00edn&#8217;s finishing position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, Aprilia&#8217;s Friday performance suggests Fern\u00e1ndez and Bezzecchi could influence the points distribution, while Acosta also demonstrated strong pace with KTM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/motogp\/\">GRANDE PR\u00caMIO<\/a><\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/motogp\/\">has detailed the results M\u00e1rquez needs to take the championship lead<\/a>, with Saturday&#8217;s sprint offering the first opportunity for the standings to change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What time are Indonesian MotoGP qualifying and sprint?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Qualifying begins on <strong>Saturday, October 10, at 10:50 local time<\/strong>, followed by Q2 at 11:15. The sprint starts at 15:00 in Mandalika.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><th>Session<\/th><th>UK (BST)<\/th><th>US\/Canada (ET)<\/th><th>India (IST)<\/th><th>Australia (AEDT)<\/th><th>New Zealand (NZDT)<\/th><\/tr><tr><td>Q1<\/td><td>Sat 03:50<\/td><td>Fri 22:50<\/td><td>Sat 08:20<\/td><td>Sat 13:50<\/td><td>Sat 15:50<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Q2<\/td><td>Sat 04:15<\/td><td>Fri 23:15<\/td><td>Sat 08:45<\/td><td>Sat 14:15<\/td><td>Sat 16:15<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Sprint<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Sat 08:00<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Sat 03:00<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Sat 12:30<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Sat 18:00<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Sat 20:00<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Grand Prix (Sunday)<\/td><td>Sun 08:00<\/td><td>Sun 03:00<\/td><td>Sun 12:30<\/td><td>Sun 18:00<\/td><td>Sun 20:00<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\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\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">F1 today: FAQ<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What time is Singapore GP sprint qualifying today?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sprint qualifying starts at 20:30 Singapore time on Friday, October 9, equivalent to 13:30 BST in the UK, 08:30 ET in the United States and Canada, and 18:00 IST in India. The session determines the starting grid for Saturday&#8217;s sprint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Who was fastest in Singapore GP FP1?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">George Russell topped FP1 with a 1:32.274, driving Mercedes&#8217; older W17 aerodynamic specification. Charles Leclerc finished second, 0.198s behind, followed by Lando Norris in third. Kimi Antonelli was seventh with the upgraded Mercedes, while Gabriel Bortoleto finished 16th.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why is George Russell using the old Mercedes at the Singapore GP?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mercedes is comparing its previous W17 specification with the aerodynamic upgrade introduced at Sepang. Russell is using the older package, while championship leader Kimi Antonelli retains the new version. Russell led FP1, but differences in tyre compounds and run programmes mean the result alone does not establish which specification is faster.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ra\u00fal Fern\u00e1ndez leads an Aprilia 1-2-3 at Mandalika, while Jorge Mart\u00edn gains an early advantage over Marc M\u00e1rquez ahead of Saturday&#8217;s qualifying and sprint<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1020317385,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"42wp_featured_image_caption":"Ra\u00fal Fern\u00e1ndez","42wp_featured_image_credits":"Trackhouse","42wp_featured_video":"","42wp_featured_image_hidden":false,"42wp_authors_list":[{"id":7,"location":""}],"footnotes":"","42wp_breaking_news":false},"categories":[38],"tags":[53,581,52,104],"42wp_author":[7],"class_list":["post-3685","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-victor-martins"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3685","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=3685"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3685\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3686,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3685\/revisions\/3686"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1020317385"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3685"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3685"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3685"},{"taxonomy":"42wp_author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/42wp_author?post=3685"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}