Having wrapped up the title last time in Japan, Marc Marquez needs to win two of the remaining five grands prix to beat his record of 13 wins in a season (2014).

However, his first target this weekend will just be to finish the grand prix, having never seen a Sunday chequered flag at Mandalika in his three previous visits.

Marquez was injured during a massive highside in warm-up for the inaugural 2022 event, crashed in 2023 and suffered an engine failure in 2024. His only Indonesian result so far is a third place, as a Gresini rider, in last year’s Sprint race.

After victories earlier this season in Austria, Mandalika and Portimao are the only circuits on the current calendar that Marquez has not yet won at.

Meanwhile, the battle for second is getting closer with factory Ducati team-mate Francesco Bagnaia now 66 points behind Alex Marquez after a perfect weekend in Motegi.

Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi lost ground in Japan, after being taken out by team-mate Jorge Martin in the Sprint, and is a further 32 points from Bagnaia.

However, Bezzecchi struck back by leading day one at Mandalika, while Bagnaia and Marc Marquez both failed to claim direct access to Qualifying 2, meaning they will have to fight for the last two transfer spots in this morning’s Qualifying 1.

Martin, last year’s pole and grand prix winner, is missing this weekend after undergoing surgery for a right collarbone fracture sustained in the Japanese accident.

Rookie Ai Ogura, who withdrew from his home Japanese Grand Prix last Sunday due to ongoing pain from the wrist injury at Misano, also remains out of action, meaning Raul Fernandez is the only Trackhouse rider in the special Gulf livery.

Saturday October 4:
10:10am (local) / 3:10am (UK) – MotoGP FP2
10.50am (local) / 3:50am (UK) – MotoGP Qualifying
3pm (local) / 8am (UK) – MotoGP Sprint