The premier class field delivered high-octane drama at the Mandalika circuit as Raul Fernandez clinched his maiden MotoGP pole position in a fiercely contested qualifying session. Converting his strong practice pace into maximum Saturday performance, the Trackhouse Racing rider unleashed a brilliant lap of 1m28.562s on his final run to secure the premier grid slot for the Indonesian Grand Prix.
Fernandez's stellar performance marked a historic milestone for the Trackhouse squad. Factory Aprilia's Marco Bezzecchi looked primed to challenge for the top spot, but the Italian was forced to abort his flying lap after yellow flags waved at Turn 16 following a late crash for Fermin Aldeguer, locking Bezzecchi into second place on the timesheets.
VR46's Fabio di Giannantonio rounded out the front row in third position. Meanwhile, all eyes remained fixed on the tactical battle unfolding further back on the track between reigning champion Marc Marquez and championship leader Jorge Martin, with the factory Ducati rider ultimately edging out his compatriot to secure fourth ahead of Martin in fifth.
Marquez engaged in a strategic game of cat-and-mouse by following Martin on track, prompting the Aprilia pit wall to issue dashboard warnings to their title contender. Even after Martin rolled out of his flying lap to regroup, Marquez shadowed him through the same section of the circuit. Both riders managed to improve their times upon starting fresh pushes, but Marquez went 0.034s quicker to seal the fourth position on the grid.
Behind the intense mid-pack tussle, Aldeguer managed to salvage sixth despite his late tumble, while Trackhouse teammate Ai Ogura fought back brilliantly to seventh following a finger injury sustained on Friday. With the grid tightly packed and strategic rivalries reaching boiling point, Sunday's main race at Mandalika promises a thrilling spectacle from lights out.
Read Also
Raul Fernandez sukses merebut pole position perdana MotoGP di Sirkuit Mandalika setelah menguasai kualifikasi yang diwarnai drama kecelakaan.
Simak persiapan sengit Sprint Race MotoGP GP Indonesia 2026 di Mandalika. Raul Fernandez raih pole, sementara Marc Marquez menguntit dari barisan kedua.
Raul Fernandez rebut pole perdana MotoGP Mandalika, sementara Marc Marquez ungguli Jorge Martin untuk start dari posisi keempat di grid.
Continue with Google
Discussion (0)
Join the Discussion!
Sign in easily to start commenting, replying, and interacting with other readers.
Latest Comments
No comments yet. Be the first!