Márquez wins Mandalika Sprint for Ducati and retakes the MotoGP championship lead
Marc Márquez took the lead with five laps remaining and won the seventeenth Sprint of the season at the Mandalika International Circuit, moving back to the top of the championship.
- 17th
- 4th
- 5
- 27 laps
What Happened
The Ducati Lenovo Team claimed victory in the seventeenth Sprint of the season at the Mandalika International Circuit with Marc Márquez, who is back in the lead of the championship. Francesco Bagnaia finished in the points in eighth place. Fabio Di Giannantonio took third place aboard the Ducati of the VR46 Racing Team.
5
He started fourth, ran second early on and then managed his advantage to the flag.
Márquez, fourth on the grid, moved up to second place at the start. After losing ground to Martín in the early stages, he took the lead with five laps remaining and then managed his advantage as effectively as possible in the closing stages. Bagnaia, tenth in qualifying, spent the entire race in eighth position and put up a strong defence against Quartararo in the final laps.
- Marc Márquez (#93 Ducati Lenovo Team) - 1st
- Fabio Di Giannantonio - 3rd, on the Ducati of the VR46 Racing Team
- Francesco Bagnaia (#63 Ducati Lenovo Team) - 8th
“The goal for this Sprint was not to lose too many points to Martín, and tomorrow will be the same, so I'm definitely very happy with today's result. It doesn't matter whether a circuit is favourable or not; you always need to have full confidence in your abilities. I wanted to attack Martín in the early stages, but after a moment on lap three, I realised it was difficult to stay so close to him. My pace kept improving and, after he had an issue, I simply tried to maintain a safety margin in the lead, as I was aware of our struggles in T2.”
“Our pace at the end of the race wasn't bad, but unfortunately, I struggle in the early stages. It's my fault, as I can't put enough energy into the rear tyre, which only got up to temperature after seven laps. This is why I lose so much ground from the get-go and end up making my life more difficult. It's true that we struggle in T2, but compared to Marc, who did an excellent job, we cannot be as effective in the other sectors. We still need to work to try to take another step forward ahead of tomorrow.”
- Warm-up: tomorrow at 10:40 local time (GMT+8)
- Grand Prix of Indonesia: 27 laps, starting at 15:00
Previously from Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A.
Ahead of this weekend, our coverage reported that Márquez arrived at Mandalika for MotoGP Round 17 just two points off the championship lead, with Ducati having won three times at the Indonesian circuit. In Friday Practice at the same track, Márquez was fifth and Bagnaia tenth, which sent both Ducati Lenovo Team riders straight into Q2.
- Ducati Lenovo Team heads to Mandalika for MotoGP Round 17 with Márquez two points off the lead
- Ducati Lenovo Team's Márquez and Bagnaia go straight into Q2 at Indonesia MotoGP
Background drawn from MotorClaw's earlier coverage of Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A.'s official releases.
Why this matters
Márquez's victory puts him back in the lead of the championship with the Grand Prix of Indonesia still to come. His teammate Francesco Bagnaia could only finish eighth, and said himself that he loses too much ground in the early laps, so the two Ducati Lenovo Team riders head into the main race in very different shape. Ducati also had a third-place finish through Fabio Di Giannantonio of the VR46 Racing Team.
Terms in This Story
- Sprint
- A shorter race held on the Saturday of a MotoGP weekend, which awards championship points.
- T2
- The second of the timed sectors into which a racing circuit is divided for timing purposes.
- Warm-up
- A short practice session held on the morning of race day so teams can check the bike and conditions before the Grand Prix.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.