MotoGP: Rins fourth, Marc Marquez ninth and Bagnaia left in Q1 – qualifying writes a new script at Mandalika.
Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) set a searing new lap record 1:28.832 on Saturday morning to take a third pole of the season at the Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia. He maintains his impressive advantage at the top, with those on the chase shuffling amongst themselves as rookie Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) and Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) complete the front row. Fresh from taking the crown, Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) suffered his worst qualifying of 2025 in P9, and teammate Francesco Bagnaia didn’t make it out of Q1.
Q1: headlines acts with a first hurdle
With both Marquez and Bagnaia contesting Q1, it was always going to be a battle for graduation. Marquez led Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) in the provisional graduation spots after the first run, with Pecco P7, the Japanese GP winner with work to do. Lapping together, ‘Diggia’ and teammate Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) managed to improve their times with the #21 briefly into Q2 before Di Giannantonio snatched P1, demoting the #93 to P2 but at the chequered flag, he was safe. Di Giannantonio and Marquez moved into Q2, Morbidelli missing out by 0.048s. Bagnaia was only sixth, leaving him 16th on the grid.
POLE BATTLE: Bezzecchi unstoppable, Marc Marquez struggling
With Q2 underway, all eyes turned to the pole battle and pre-session favourite Bezzecchi, who was fastest on Friday and in FP2 on Saturday. He delivered the goods and by the end of the first run was the rider to beat, but there was still time for it all to change. Further down the order, Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) suffered a fast crash at Turn 15 but was straight back on his feet and onto his second bike.
Going into the final run, Marc Marquez needed a lap and was down in P10 with less than three minutes remaining. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Fernandez were on the provisional front row, but Bezzecchi was in a different league up ahead, smashing the all-time lap record and becoming the first rider into the 1’28s at Mandalika. Just behind, Alex Rins (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) had put in a cracking lap to go third, whilst elsewhere, Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) fell at Turn 13.
NEW ORDER: ‘Simply the Bez’ at Mandalika
Nobody could catch Bezzecchi, who stormed to pole position, a second in three GPs and with a margin of 0.398s. In second place, a first front row in MotoGP for Aldeguer, following Bezzecchi home just like on Friday afternoon. Fernandez recovered his front row starting position from Rins, a first front row for him since he was third at the Sachsenring in 2024. Rins crashed on his final flying lap but nevertheless takes a best qualifying since COTA in 2023, which he went on to win. Acosta and Luca Marini (Honda HRC Castrol) round out the second row of the grid with all five manufacturers across the front two rows.
WORLD CHAMPIONS STRUGGLE: Marc Marquez, Quartararo and Mir downfield
Despite a late fall that cost him a second row grid slot, Alex Marquez took the chequered flag for P7, ahead of Quartararo and Marc Marquez. It was the #93’s worst qualifying of the season and he’ll have to battle through before thinking about a podium. A first top ten since Aragon last year for Miguel Oliveira (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP) makes it three Yamahas inside the top ten too, ahead of Di Giannantonio and Motegi podium finisher Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol).
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