Marco Bezzecchi claimed his 11th MotoGP win to spearhead a historic Aprilia top 4 at the Indonesian GP, as Jorge Martin reclaimed the championship lead over Marc Marquez by two points.
Aprilia dominates MotoGP round 17
In Mandalika, Marco Bezzecchi secured a stunning 11th MotoGP victory, the 300th for an Italian rider in the class, taking the chequered flag 4.2 seconds clear of Raul Fernandez. Remarkably, the triumph marked his 11th win at an 11th different circuit, as well as his first Grand Prix victory since Mugello back in May.
Raul Fernandez delivered a heroic performance to secure P2, braving 27 gruelling laps with two crucial braking fingers broken. Although Fernandez held the early lead, Bezzecchi eventually made the decisive move for the front on Lap 17 as the Trackhouse rider’s tyres began to fade following an aggressive opening stint.
Jorge Martin completed the podium after recovering from a sluggish launch off the line. The Spaniard sliced through from sixth to P3, reclaiming the championship lead from Marc Marquez, who had briefly taken the points advantage after winning Saturday’s Sprint.
Ai Ogura took P4 after another signature late-race surge. The Japanese rider completed the Aprilia top-four lockout after first prevailing in an intense battle with Alex Marquez before executing hard-fought passes on both Marc Marquez and Pedro Acosta.
Championship unchanged after Indonesian GP
Pedro Acosta secured fifth position ahead of Marc Marquez in sixth, who reached the chequered flag in Mandalika on a Sunday for the very first time, finally breaking his Indonesian GP jinx.
Marc Marquez’s spell at the top of the standings proved short-lived, as Jorge Martin retook the championship lead he had lost during Saturday’s Sprint. Arriving in Indonesia two points adrift, Marquez leaves Mandalika in the exact same spot as the title battle heads into Round 18.
Behind them, Alex Marquez finished seventh ahead of Fabio Di Giannantonio. Fabio Quartararo secured a solid ninth place with a 12-second advance on the closest Yamaha of Alex Rins, with Enea Bastianini completing the top 10. Brad Binder crossed the line in 11th ahead of Luca Marini in 12th, while Johann Zarco staged a impressive fightback from P20 to take 13th. Franco Morbidelli and Alex Rins claimed the final points-paying positions in 14th and 15th.
Mandalika proved unforgiving for its previous winner Fermin Aldeguer, whose dismal weekend concluded with a fourth spill of the Grand Prix. The Spaniard wasn’t the only rider caught out by the tricky conditions, with Jack Miller sliding out at Turn 2 on Lap 6 before Francesco Bagnaia crashed out at Turn 17 just one lap later.
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