The 17th round of the 2026 MotoGP season at the Mandalika Circuit burst into intense action following a 35-minute delay caused by communication issues in the race direction room during the preceding Moto2 session. Once the track finally opened under the scorching Lombok sun, riders immediately pushed to the limit as high asphalt temperatures tested tyre durability from the very first minute of practice.
Raul Fernandez emerged at the top of the timesheets after setting a sensational new track record. The Spanish rider mastered the session aboard his RS-GP26 to lead an Aprilia lockout of the top three positions, laying down an early marker at the start of the Indonesian Grand Prix weekend.
Behind Fernandez, factory-backed rider Marco Bezzecchi secured second place, finishing 0.219 seconds adrift. Meanwhile, championship leader Jorge Martin completed the Aprilia clean sweep in third position after working hard to tame the fast Mandalika layout in challenging grip conditions.
The strongest resistance from rival manufacturers came from KTM, with Pedro Acosta ending up as the highest-placed non-Aprilia rider in fourth. Just behind the young Spaniard, reigning champion Marc Marquez had to settle for fifth place on his Ducati Lenovo machine, closely followed by Fabio Di Giannantonio in sixth.
The session also featured high drama when Fabio Quartararo suffered a fast crash during the middle stages. Despite the heavy tumble, the Monster Yamaha rider bounced back strongly to claim seventh overall by the end of the day.
On the other hand, several big names and rookies missed out on the top ten automatic Q2 spots. Last year's winner Fermin Aldeguer endured a difficult day after crashing twice and suffering a technical issue, forcing him into Saturday's Qualifying 1 alongside Ai Ogura.
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Raul Fernandez pimpin dominasi Aprilia dan pecahkan rekor putaran di sesi Practice MotoGP Indonesia Mandalika, sementara para kandidat juara lolos ke Q2.
Aprilia kuasai Practice MotoGP Indonesia di Mandalika lewat Raul Fernandez, sementara Pecco Bagnaia lolos ke Q2 dan Honda terpuruk.
Raul Fernandez pecahkan rekor lap Mandalika bawa Aprilia kuasai hari pertama latihan bebas MotoGP Indonesia 2026.
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