Marc Marquez returns to Motegi not as the hunted, but as the hunter. Just 12 points separate him from Jorge Martin atop the MotoGP 2026 standings, and the pressure is already palpable in the paddock. Ducati has admitted that the recent Austrian Grand Prix was a missed opportunity.
In the Austrian main race, a brake issue forced Marquez to settle for fifth. The points damage wasn't massive, but there's a sense within Ducati that they're bracing for a tough weekend in Indonesia. Mandalika has never been kind to Marquez, and the stiffer tyre carcass that plagues Ducati will return.
“It's obvious that here we will try hard to be in front of our opponents, but at the end our target is like every race - to be on the podium,” said Davide Tardozzi in Japan. “In Indonesia, we will try to do our best. We know that somebody else will be faster than us, but we know that Marc sometimes does something exciting.”
Ducati faced a potential headache as Michelin expanded its tyre selection to include the hard rear with the stiff casing from Austria due to Motegi's resurfaced asphalt. But after Friday's running, the hard tyre appears to be just taking up space in Michelin's awning. After 1 hour and 45 minutes of practice, Ducati seems to have an edge over Aprilia, but Pedro Acosta on the KTM has started strongly in his quest for a second MotoGP victory.
The new asphalt at Motegi is proving very grippy, and Marquez expects a difficult qualifying session. “Tomorrow will be a difficult qualifying because everyone will be very fast,” the Ducati Lenovo Team rider said. “The fact that here it looks like here with the rear tyre you have not only one chance, one lap – two, three laps still the rear tyre is working well. So, this means that everybody will be very fast because the most difficult for the time attack is [when the tyre can only do a] single lap; but here you have more time, or more options, to do the lap time.”
At least the Ducati looks to be working well on the soft tyre. Alex Marquez led the way in Practice with a 1m42.811s, a new lap record, with Acosta and Marc Marquez within 0.1s of that time. Marc Marquez's long run pace should concern his rivals.
With qualifying predicted to be tight, Motegi will be a mental test for Marquez. If he can handle the pressure and maximize the Ducati package, the chance to close the gap to Martin remains open. However, the shadow of a tough Mandalika weekend already looms over the paddock.
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