FRIDAY REPORT IN MOTOGP AS MARC MARQUEZ STAYS OUT OF TOP 10 IN FP2
Free Practice 1
Indonesia’s sweltering heat and humidity set the stage for the opening MotoGP session, where Luca Marini rose to the top of the timesheets. The Italian struck late in FP1, setting a 1’30.809 on his penultimate flyer to secure P1. Only rookie Pedro Acosta was able to join him in the 1’30s, with Marco Bezzecchi completing the top three after displaying consistent pace throughout.
Honda’s momentum from Japan appeared to carry forward, Marini showing early promise before cementing first place with his final run. Acosta looked on course to challenge for the top but endured a dramatic session, including a huge save at Turn 15, a rear-end slide at Turn 11, and a near-collision with Japanese GP winner Francesco Bagnaia at Turn 10. Bezzecchi held firm in third, ahead of Alex Rins, who delivered one of his strongest Friday outings of the year. Newly-crowned World Champion Marc Marquez rounded out the top five for Ducati, despite a trip across the Turn 1 gravel while leaving the pitlane.
Yamaha enjoyed a competitive start with Jack Miller in sixth, followed closely by Fabio Quartararo, just over half a second from Marini’s benchmark. Fabio Di Giannantonio was eighth, ahead of Joan Mir and Alex Marquez, who completed the top 10. Elsewhere, Fermin Aldeguer suffered a heavy crash at Turn 8, while Bagnaia ended a difficult morning languishing down in 17th.
Free Practice 2
The afternoon session delivered high drama as Marc Marquez endured a torrid time, suffering two crashes and missing out on an automatic Q2 place for the first time this season. His Ducati teammate Francesco Bagnaia also endured a challenging outing, ending up consigned to Q1. In stark contrast, Marco Bezzecchi dominated FP2, setting a blistering 1:29.240 that left him over four tenths clear of Fermin Aldeguer and Pedro Acosta.
The defending champion’s woes began early when Marquez tumbled at Turn 10, leaving him mired in 17th midway through the session. A bigger crash at Turn 5 soon followed, the Spaniard violently ejected over the handlebars of his Ducati in a rare double-crash Friday. Returning with 17 minutes to go, Marquez briefly fought back into the top six before slipping out of the top 10 again in the closing stages.
Bagnaia’s afternoon was no less frustrating. Despite running close to Marquez on track, yellow flags from crashes for Alex Marquez at Turn 12 and Enea Bastianini at Turn 3 saw laps deleted. When Johann Zarco also went down at Turn 8, further attempts were compromised, and Bagnaia’s final effort left him only 16th. Marquez too was shuffled down the order as late laps from Alex Rins and Fabio Quartararo pushed him to 11th, ending his perfect 2025 Friday run. It marked the first time since the 2024 German GP that Marquez will contest Q1, with Ducati fielding both factory riders in the first qualifying session for the first time since Valencia 2023.
Marini’s fine form continued with P4 for Honda, while Raul Fernandez impressed in fifth for Aprilia. Mir was sixth, ahead of Quartararo and Rins in seventh and eighth respectively. Miguel Oliveira ensured three Yamahas advanced to Q2 by placing ninth, while Alex Marquez clung on to the final automatic spot in 10th.
Aprilia and Bezzecchi appear to have set the standard heading into Saturday, with the rest of the grid scrambling to close the gap. After a rollercoaster Friday in Mandalika, an unpredictable and thrilling weekend awaits.
Share this content:
