Marco Bezzecchi Leads Aprilia 1-2-3 at Mandalika

Raul Fernandez finished second as Jorge Martin secured third place to move two points ahead of Marc Marquez in the championship standings, with five race weekends remaining.

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Marco Bezzecchi led an Aprilia 1-2-3 finish at the Indonesian MotoGP Grand Prix on Sunday, claiming his first victory since the Italian Grand Prix while Jorge Martin reclaimed the championship lead with a third-place finish.

Riding for Aprilia Racing, Bezzecchi made his decisive move on pole-sitter Raul Fernandez during the final third of the race at the Mandalika International Circuit, which was hit by sweltering conditions.

Fernandez, representing the Trackhouse MotoGP Team, crossed the line in second place, while Martin completed the podium to give Aprilia a clean sweep of the top three positions.

The result also marked Italy’s 300th victory in MotoGP and an important milestone for Aprilia, which secured a historic top-four lockout.

Despite his latest victory, Bezzecchi remains third in the championship standings, 46 points behind Martin. With only five race weekends remaining, the Italian acknowledged the challenge of fighting for the title but insisted he would not give up.

“I’m happy with my race. I really wanted to leave Mandalika with a good result, and I’d been chasing this win since my injury at the Sachsenring. It felt really good.”

“Clearly, with only five races left, the title is more lost than won. But that doesn’t change how I think or work, especially with my team. I’m not a rider who gives up,” said Bezzecchi.

Fernandez, meanwhile, delivered a strong performance despite riding with a fractured index finger sustained during Saturday’s sprint race. The Spaniard had to use his middle finger to operate the brake but managed to get away cleanly from his first-ever MotoGP pole position.

His start was particularly important after he and Bezzecchi collided and crashed out of Saturday’s sprint, which was won by Marc Marquez.

During the opening stages of Sunday’s 27-lap race, Fernandez managed to keep Bezzecchi behind him. However, the Italian eventually found a way past as the race progressed, leaving Fernandez to settle for second.

Martin, also riding an Aprilia, maintained third place despite being unable to match the pace of the leading pair.

“I’m happy with this podium because I achieved the best possible result. Marco and Raul had something extra all weekend. I tried to close the gap, but they were faster,” Martin said.

He added that his main objective was to remain in contention for the championship and reach the season finale in Valencia with a chance to secure the title.

The result proved crucial in the championship battle, as Martin moved back to the top of the standings, two points ahead of reigning world champion Marc Marquez.

Marquez, riding for Ducati, finished sixth after struggling to maintain the pace over the full race distance. Despite missing out on the podium, the Spaniard remained positive about his weekend and the points he secured.

“This weekend went really well, and I’m very happy that I didn’t lose any points to Martin. It’s true that you always want more and that we struggled in the race today, but we expected that over the full race distance,” said Marquez.

He added that the team had managed the situation well and remained focused throughout the race. Meanwhile, Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia suffered an early end to his race after crashing out.

With Martin now back at the top of the championship, the battle for the 2026 MotoGP title remains wide open. Marquez trails by just two points, while Bezzecchi remains within striking distance, although he faces a 46-point deficit with five race weekends left.

The championship now heads towards the final stretch of the season, with the upcoming Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island set to provide another important test for the title contenders.