Marc Marquez out to “reverse” bleak Mandalika MotoGP record

Marc Marquez arrives at Mandalika just two points behind Jorge Martin in the 2026 MotoGP title fight after completing a double victory at Motegi.

By contrast, his total of Sunday points from the four previous Indonesian Grand Prix races is... zero. In fact, he’s yet to reach the finish.

Marc Marquez was ruled out of the inaugural 2022 race by concussion after a massive warm-up highside on his Honda RC213V, then crashed out of both races in 2023.

The Spaniard finally reached a Mandalika chequered flag with third for Gresini Ducati in the 2024 Sprint, only for an engine failure in the grand prix.

Marquez returned last season as the newly crowned MotoGP champion with Ducati Lenovo, but qualified ninth and finished only sixth in the Sprint.

Disaster struck in the grand prix when he was hit by Marco Bezzecchi on the opening lap, suffering shoulder injuries that ruled him out of the remainder of the season.

As such, although he’s also yet to conquer at Goiania or Portimao, Mandalika must rank as his ‘worst’ circuit - a trend Marquez is keen to reverse this weekend, especially with Aprilia expected to be strong at the Indonesian circuit.

“The Japanese GP went well: we were competitive throughout and fought for the win with everything we had,” Marquez said.

“Ever since Aragon, my feeling on the bike has been consistently good, which gives us confidence.

“On paper, Indonesia hasn't historically been my best track, and in the past, I've never managed to finish the main race; irony aside, the main objective with the team is precisely to reverse that trend and put together a strong weekend".

"Positions that matter"

Team-mate Pecco Bagnaia is a former Mandalika Sprint and Grand Prix winner, but endured a miserable 2025 event, qualifying 16th, finishing 14th in the Sprint and then crashing out of the grand prix.

The Italian returns without a Sprint or Grand Prix podium during the past seven rounds of this season.

“At Motegi, we managed to bring home more solid points, though I have to admit I struggled a lot with my riding,” said Bagnaia, who finished eighth in Japan.

“Historically, I've been fast and successful at this track, even if we suffered a lot last year. 

"The goal is to keep working with the team to recover the best feeling and return to fighting for the positions that matter."

Gresini provided Ducati’s highlights at Mandalika last season, with rookie Fermin Aldeguer winning and Alex Marquez finishing third on the satellite GP24s.