Bagnaia masters Mandalika as Martin’s mistake cuts title lead in half

The Italian took victory over Bastianini in the closest Sprint finish of the season as Martin’s Championship lead was reduced to 12 points.

Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) has returned to glory in the Tissot Sprint at the Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia, remaining unstoppable in the 13-lap shootout. The reigning World Champion grabbed 12 points on Saturday, crossing the line in front of Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team), who finished a mere 0.107s behind as Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) took the final spot on the podium after a tense battle with ‘The Beast’.

Meanwhile, there was another Championship twist in Indonesia, with Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) crashing out of the lead, reducing his advantage to just 12 points ahead of Sunday.

Martin made a dream launch to the Sprint, charging to the front ahead of title rival Bagnaia, who braved the outside line on the run to Turn 1. The #89 pulled the pin on the opening lap, while Marc Marquez made ground at the start after qualifying from 12^th on the grid.

Everything unfolded at the end of Lap 1, with Martin crashing out of the lead at the tricky Turn 16. The Championship leader remounted, setting sights on recovering some points on Saturday, with his closest rival, Bagnaia, now promoted into P1.

The battle for the podium began, with Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team), Acosta and Marc Marquez starting their duel. The #93 soon made a move stick on Acosta on Lap 3, entering the top three positions as Acosta was soon under threat from Bastianini – seeing the rookie drop back to fifth.

It was a red-hot pace at the front, with the fastest lap soon placed in the hands of Bezzecchi before Bezzecchi had a huge moment on Lap 7, narrowly avoiding the reigning World Champion and dropping #72 to fourth.

Martin continued his recovering ride, launching into the top 15 and then the top 12, soon entering the top 10 after a move on Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing).

Bastianini would edge closer to Marc Marquez in the closing laps, setting sights on a move with three laps remaining. ‘The Beast’ looked for an opportunity on Lap 12, making the move stick at Turn 10. The Italian was in second, with Bagnaia a further eight-tenths up the road.

On the final lap, Bagnaia kept his cool, returning to Sprint glory in another twist to an enthralling season, with the #1 crossing the line 0.107s ahead of the chasing Bastianini. It was an impressive final lap from Bastianini, beating Marc Marquez in third. The #93 added a further seven points to his Championship tally, which could prove to be crucial at the end of the season.

Behind the leading trio was Bezzecchi, who showed an encouraging pace in the early stages but was unable to recover ground that he lost after his mistake. The #72 had a comfortable advantage over Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing), with the Italian able to leapfrog Acosta, who finished down in sixth. The rookie crossed the line with less than half a second advantage over Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing).

Meanwhile, CASTROL Honda LCR’s Johann Zarco secured a remarkable eighth place. It was a standout ride from the Frenchman, crossing the line in front of the fighting-fit Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team), who took the final point. Martin was unable to finish higher than 10^th, walking away with no points and 9.104s away from victory.

With Martin’s Championship advantage down to 12 points, you do not want to miss the Indonesian GP. Tune in on Sunday at 15:00 local time (UTC +8) to find out who will head into Japan on top!

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