Aprilia were in full control for most of the weekend in Mandalika. Aside from Marc Márquez taking advantage of a first-lap incident to win the Sprint, it had been a dominant weekend for both the Aprilia Racing and SuperFile Trackhouse teams.
Raúl Fernández was starting from pole, with Marco Bezzecchi and VR46’s Fabio Di Giannantonio lining up on the front row beside him. Behind them on row two was Marc Márquez, Jorge Martín and Fermín Aldeguer.
With the championship battle so tight at the top, it was all to play for at the Indonesian Grand Prix.
Race Start & Early Phase
The lights went out, with Fernández and Bezzecchi both making excellent starts of the line, but it was the Trackhouse rider who got the holeshot. There was no repeat of Saturday’s Sprint drama, as everyone made it safely through Turn 1. Aldeguer also got off the line well, quickly passing Martín for fifth before dispatching Di Giannantonio for fourth. However, his race came to an equally swift end as he slid out at Turn 16 on the second lap.
Martín managed to stick his Aprilia up the inside of Marc Márquez to take third as they went through Turn 10. It was a crucial move for Martín in terms of the championship fight, having come into the race just four points behind Márquez. Pedro Acosta set the fastest lap of the race on Lap 4, putting those ahead of him on notice that The Shark was on the hunt.
Back-And-Forth Battles
Bezzecchi was starting to push in a bid to pile the pressure on Fernández. Setting the fastest lap of the race with a 1:29.991, the gap was now a tantalisingly slim 0.4 seconds. A couple of laps later, and the first signs of the inevitable battle began between future teammates Pedro Acosta and Marc Márquez began to show. The pair made their way though Turn 10, with Acosta braking incredibly late to pass the reigning champ. Behind them, Di Giannantonio was ready to take advantage if an opportunity presented itself.
On Lap 13, Márquez was gifted a pass as Acosta could be seen slowing and letting the Ducati through. With similar scenes for Martín in the Sprint, it signalled that tyre pressure issues were starting to become a factor once again. Two laps of sticking close to the back of Márquez seemed to solve the issue, as Acosta then got back past the Ducati through Turn 10.
Dramatic Late Stages
On Lap 19, Bezzecchi took the lead from Fernández as he shot past on the start-finish straight. Fernández went slightly wide through Turn 1, giving Bezzecchi some much-needed breathing room. It wasn’t all bad news for Fernández though, as Martín was still a further 2.4 seconds behind in third, meaning he was able to safely recover from his mistake.
But the real drama was unfolding in the battle for fourth, fifth and sixth. Ai Ogura was now in the mix, having passed Di Giannantonio, and he was quick to remind everyone why he was such a threat in the late stages of a race. Ogura pounced on Lap 21, snatching fifth from Márquez as they went through Turn 16. The Japanese rider then set his sights on Acosta, and briefly managed to get past the KTM for fourth.
Acosta wasn’t done yet though, regaining the position as they entered Turn 10. But Ogura was having none of it, sweeping past Acosta through Turn 16 and, this time, making the move stick. Behind them, Márquez was still running close, ready to sneak by if the two riders ahead of him tangled.
Bezzecchi Back On Top
As the last lap began, Bezzecchi was a comfortable 3.3 seconds ahead of Fernández, which meant an easy cruise to the finish line. The chequered flag waved and Bezzecchi took his first win since Mugello some four months ago, and the 300th win for an Italian in MotoGP. Fernández came home in second, with Martín rounding off the podium in third.
Ogura managed to keep Acosta at bay to finish fourth, making it a clean sweep at the front for Aprilia. Just over a second behind them, Márquez crossed the line in fifth. This means that he is once again just two points behind Martín in the championship. In the post-race interviews, Fernández announced that he had completed the race with just one, but two broken fingers. It was an absolutely astonishing feat to have finished the race at all, let alone having finished on the podium.
The Championship Fight Is Still On
The results from Indonesia mean that the championship rolls over to the next round at Phillip Island, Australia. It’s a circuit that the entire grid has a lot of love for, and never fails to bring some close on-track battles. With just two points between Martín and Márquez, and Bezzecchi showing he’s not out for the count just yet, it promises to be an exciting race down under.
Feature image courtesy of Aprilia Racing