Practice sessions for the 2026 MotoGP Indonesian Grand Prix at the Mandalika circuit faced unexpected delays due to technical issues impacting the stewards' room and timekeeping systems. The connectivity glitch disrupted the Friday morning schedule on the island of Lombok, coming on the heels of an opening free practice session held under scorching track temperatures reaching up to 54 degrees Celsius.
The disruption first surfaced during the Moto2 FP2 session which began at 7:05am BST, only to be red-flagged with just over 12 minutes remaining on the clock because of technical difficulties. MotoGP Race Director Graham Webber subsequently stepped in to inform the paddock about the root cause of the sudden halt. Addressing the connectivity failure that crippled the race control's core operations, Webber issued a brief statement explaining the situation to teams and media. Webber said, We are experiencing connectivity issues affecting the stewards' room and timekeeping, and we are working on a fix to get back underway shortly.
Following intensive troubleshooting by the technical crew, the troublesome issue was finally resolved at 8:12am BST. The premier class hour-long Practice session, which was originally slated to get underway at 8am BST, was postponed until the systems were fully operational, pushing the new green light to 8:35am BST. This hiccup marks another chapter in Mandalika's operational history, recalling the asphalt problems that plagued the inaugural 2022 event and forced a shortening of the grand prix distance.
Prior to the technical delay, Marco Bezzecchi set the pace in the morning FP1 session aboard his Aprilia machine with a lap time of 1m30.132s as he aims to breathe new life into his fading championship campaign. The Italian rider put on a strong display on a circuit that continuously tests tire suppliers and riders alike with extreme track temperatures.
Closely following behind him was Marc Marquez, who planted his factory Ducati into second place, trailing Bezzecchi by just 0.237s, while championship leader Jorge Martin rounded out the top three on the sister Aprilia works bike. Only two points currently separate Martin and Marquez at the summit of the championship standings as the action unfolds this weekend in Indonesia.
Read Also
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.
Raul Fernandez hancurkan rekor lap Mandalika untuk kuasai sesi latihan MotoGP Indonesia, pimpin dominasi Aprilia di depan Bezzecchi dan Martin.
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!