Ducati Lenovo Team's Márquez and Bagnaia go straight into Q2 at Indonesia MotoGP
Marc Márquez finished fifth and Francesco Bagnaia tenth in Practice at Mandalika, sending both Ducati Lenovo Team riders directly into Q2 for the Grand Prix of Indonesia.
- 5th
- 10th
- 11:15
- 13 laps
What Happened
The Ducati Lenovo Team tackled the opening day of the Grand Prix of Indonesia at the Mandalika International Circuit, with Marc Márquez and Francesco Bagnaia both securing direct places in tomorrow's Q2. Márquez, who was second in FP1, remained consistently inside the top five throughout the afternoon session and moved up to second with ten minutes remaining before ultimately finishing fifth. Bagnaia, thirteenth quickest in FP1, returned to the top ten in the closing stages of Practice with a convincing time attack. The team will be back in action at 10:10 local time (GMT+8) for Free Practice 2, followed by Q2 at 11:15 and the seventeenth Sprint of the season, contested over 13 laps from 15:00.
- 2nd in FP1, 5th in Practice
- 13th in FP1, 10th in Practice
Márquez finishes second; Bagnaia is thirteenth quickest.
Márquez stays in the top five and ends fifth; Bagnaia returns to the top ten with a late time attack.
Free Practice 2.
Q2, with both Ducati riders already qualified directly.
The seventeenth Sprint of the season, run over 13 laps.
“I feel better than expected. I usually struggle at the beginning at this track before improving throughout the weekend. This year, we were able to make progress much more quickly, and the feeling improved a lot. The race pace isn't too bad, but we still need to improve a little in some areas of the track during time attack and on fresh tyres. We're trying to find better speed in the flowing corners, while we're already very competitive under braking and on corner entry. We need to keep working to close the gap to the front runners and try to ride more smoothly.”
“I'm quite happy with the result. We did a lot of work and completed many laps today. We had noticed a few things in Japan, especially in the race, and the changes made with the team improved the feeling under braking and on corner entry, which makes a whole lot of difference. This is a track where we struggle a little, and we especially lose a lot of ground in sector two, between turns five and seven. I still lack a lot of grip, especially mid-corner and when first opening the throttle, but we have plenty of data to work on ahead of tomorrow and Sunday.”
13laps
The seventeenth Sprint of the season, starting at 15:00 local time at Mandalika.
Previously from Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A.
This is MotoGP Round 17 at Mandalika, a circuit where Ducati has won three times, and Marc Márquez arrived in Indonesia just two points off the championship lead. Márquez's previous outing was a win at the Japanese Grand Prix, his sixth MotoGP victory of the season in the last nine races, which also delivered Ducati its 100th MotoGP win.
- Ducati Lenovo Team heads to Mandalika for MotoGP Round 17 with Márquez two points off the lead
- Dall'Igna hails Márquez's flawless Japanese GP win as Ducati reaches 100 MotoGP victories
Background drawn from MotorClaw's earlier coverage of Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A.'s official releases.
Why this matters
Practice results decide which riders earn a direct place in Q2 rather than having to fight through the earlier qualifying round, so both Ducati riders have cleared the first hurdle of the weekend. Márquez says he still needs more speed in the flowing corners and Bagnaia reports a lack of grip, so the team has limited time to find more pace before Q2 and Saturday's 13-lap Sprint.
Terms in This Story
- FP1
- The first free practice session of a race weekend, used by teams to set up the bike and learn the track.
- Q2
- The second qualifying session, which decides the front of the starting grid; riders can earn a direct place in it through their practice results.
- time attack
- A lap ridden at maximum pace, usually on a fresh tyre, in an attempt to set the fastest possible time.
- Sprint
- A short race held on the Saturday of a MotoGP weekend, separate from the main Grand Prix race.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.