Drama unfolded at the Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit as Raul Fernandez secured his very first premier-class pole position during a scorching qualifying session on the Indonesian island of Lombok. The Spaniard mastered the extreme track conditions with a blistering lap time of 1 minute 28.852 seconds in Q2 to top the timesheets.
Saturday's qualifying battles were severely impacted by intense heat, with asphalt temperatures soaring close to 60 degrees Celsius. Finding adequate grip proved to be an immense challenge for the entire grid, with the front tire causing major headaches and leading to multiple crashes across various sessions.
Aprilia showcased phenomenal pace throughout the day, culminating in a stellar front-row lockout for the Italian manufacturer. Marco Bezzecchi closely followed his fellow brand stablemate to claim second place on the grid, while birthday boy Fabio Di Giannantonio rounded out the front row in third.
The path to Q2 was equally dramatic, as Fermin Aldeguer and Ai Ogura fought their way through the first qualifying phase. Despite suffering a late crash, Ogura successfully held onto his transfer spot behind pacesetter Aldeguer to secure a place in the pole position shootout.
During the crucial second run of Q2, Fernandez delivered the decisive blow by improving his benchmark time. Bezzecchi looked poised to mount a late challenge for pole, but yellow flags brought out by a late crash from Aldeguer effectively neutralized the final flying laps.
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