Marc Marquez wins chaotic Mandalika sprint and retakes MotoGP lead as late slip drops Jorge Martin to fourth
Marc Marquez won the Indonesian GP sprint at Mandalika after Jorge Martin slowed and then ran wide, putting Marquez four points clear in the standings.
Marc Marquez won a dramatic sprint at the Indonesian MotoGP on Saturday 10 October and took back the lead of the world championship from Jorge Martin. Martin had looked set to win at Mandalika, but he eased off to let Marquez through over a possible tyre-pressure penalty, then ran wide with two laps left and slipped to fourth. Marquez now leads Martin by four points heading into Sunday's Grand Prix, which starts at 3pm on 11 October, local time and Malaysia time alike.
Fernandez's first pole ends at Turn 1
Earlier on Saturday, Raul Fernandez took his first MotoGP pole position with a lap of 1m28.852 on his Aprilia, 0.109 seconds ahead of Marco Bezzecchi. It was Aprilia's sixth pole in a row. Fabio Di Giannantonio, Marquez, Martin and Fermin Aldeguer completed the top six. Fernandez's Friday lap of 1m28.725 remains the outright Mandalika lap record.
His sprint lasted only a few corners. At Turn 1 on the opening lap, Di Giannantonio dived up the inside and ran wide, forcing Marquez to check up. Bezzecchi stood his bike up and Fernandez had nowhere to go. The two Aprilia riders collided and both crashed out. The stewards took no action, and Fernandez later called Bezzecchi's riding unprofessional, while Bezzecchi insisted Fernandez had touched him.
Martin's lead slips away
Martin had started fifth but emerged from the chaos in front. He built a lead of 0.8 seconds early on and was more than a second clear with five laps to go of the 13-lap sprint. Then he slowed and let Marquez pass. Martin later explained that he had to give up the lead because of a tyre-pressure issue, which could have earned him a penalty. "I had to let Marc pass," he said.
He stayed close and tried to fight back, but slid on the way into Turn 15 on the penultimate lap, had a front-end moment and ran wide. That dropped him behind Ai Ogura and Di Giannantonio. Marquez took the chequered flag 0.509 seconds ahead of Ogura for his eighth sprint win of 2026 and the 23rd of his career. Di Giannantonio was third, with Martin fourth, 1.947 seconds behind the winner.
Sprint result, top 10
- Marc Marquez (Ducati) 19m37.125s
- Ai Ogura (Trackhouse Aprilia) +0.509s
- Fabio Di Giannantonio (VR46 Ducati) +0.835s
- Jorge Martin (Aprilia) +1.947s
- Alex Marquez (Gresini Ducati) +3.410s
- Pedro Acosta (KTM) +5.478s
- Fermin Aldeguer (Gresini Ducati) +7.036s
- Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) +10.039s
- Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha) +10.248s
- Alex Rins (Yamaha) +13.288s
Acosta served a long-lap penalty for exceeding track limits. Toprak Razgatlioglu finished 19th after dislocating his shoulder in a crash in the morning.
Championship standings after the sprint
Martin arrived at Mandalika two points ahead. Marquez collected 12 points for the win and Martin six for fourth, a six-point swing that leaves Marquez in front. Bezzecchi's non-score leaves him 59 points behind. Mandalika is round 17 of 22, so five rounds remain after this weekend, and Sunday's Grand Prix offers 25 points to the winner.
- Marc Marquez 343
- Jorge Martin 339
- Marco Bezzecchi 284
- Pedro Acosta 247
- Ai Ogura 246
- Fabio Di Giannantonio 237
Key takeaways
- Marc Marquez won the Mandalika sprint on 10 October and leads Jorge Martin by four points.
- Martin let Marquez through over a tyre-pressure concern, then ran wide and finished fourth.
- Raul Fernandez took his first MotoGP pole but crashed out with Marco Bezzecchi at Turn 1.
- Ai Ogura was second and Fabio Di Giannantonio third.
- The Indonesian Grand Prix starts at 3pm Malaysia time on Sunday 11 October.
FAQ
Who won the MotoGP sprint at Mandalika? Marc Marquez (Ducati) won the 13-lap sprint, 0.509 seconds ahead of Ai Ogura, with Fabio Di Giannantonio third.
Why did Jorge Martin give up the lead? Martin said he had to let Marquez pass because of a tyre-pressure issue that could have led to a penalty. He then ran wide late on and dropped to fourth.
What time is the Indonesian MotoGP race in Malaysia? The Grand Prix at Mandalika is scheduled for 3pm on Sunday 11 October. Mandalika and Malaysia share the same time zone (UTC+8).
Sources: Crash.net, MCNews, Grande Premio