At the Indonesian Grand Prix held at the Mandalika Circuit, Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi set a new all-time lap record to secure pole position, continuing his impressive form during the season’s second half. This remarkable achievement came while other prominent riders, including Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia, faced difficulties, placing ninth and sixteenth respectively.
Bezzecchi’s Dominant Qualifying Performance
Marco Bezzecchi entered qualifying at Mandalika with strong momentum after establishing a significant advantage over his rivals in Friday’s practice sessions. During Q2, he opened with a swift lap of 1 minute 29.396 seconds, immediately setting a leading benchmark that was more than a tenth of a second faster than KTM’s Pedro Acosta, who held second at that stage. Honda’s Luca Marini also made a notable early impression by securing third provisionally, demonstrating good pace for the manufacturer.
As qualifying progressed, Bezzecchi shattered expectations by becoming the first rider to complete a lap within the 1-minute 28-second range at Mandalika, hitting an extraordinary time of 1:28.832. This effort broke Jorge Martin’s previous circuit record by over two tenths of a second and confirmed Bezzecchi’s dominance. The Aprilia rider secured his third pole position of the 2025 season by nearly four-tenths over his nearest rival, a margin that highlighted his clear advantage on the track.
Notable Rivals and Challenging Moments for Others
Fermin Aldeguer, a rookie with the Gresini team, emerged as Bezzecchi’s closest challenger in qualifying. Aldeguer improved his lap to 1:29.230, which secured a strong second place on the grid. Joining the front row was Raul Fernandez representing Trackhouse and Aprilia, who finished third, just a fraction slower than Aldeguer.
Alex Rins marked his best qualifying outcome of the season by claiming fourth position on his factory Yamaha, edging out Acosta and Luca Marini, who led the top Hondas in sixth. Further down, the session was marred by incidents that impacted some riders’ grid positions. Gresini’s Alex Marquez suffered a crash late in qualifying, settling in seventh, while Fabio Quartararo damaged both his motorcycles during a chaotic final phase, concluding in eighth place.
Despite their strong reputations, both Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia struggled to achieve competitive times. Marquez, the newly crowned champion, was able to improve late in the session with a best lap of 1:29.773, but this left him only ninth on the grid, outside the crucial front rows. Bagnaia’s difficulties continued as he was knocked out in Q1 for the third time in five races, relegating him to a 16th place start.
Midfield Battles and Q1 Outcomes
In the earlier qualifying segment, Fabio di Giannantonio, known for his speed in Q1, partnered up well with teammate Franco Morbidelli, though Morbidelli narrowly missed advancing to Q2 by less than five hundredths of a second. Di Giannantonio ultimately qualified 11th, with Joan Mir of Honda close behind in 12th. Miguel Oliveira from Pramac Yamaha rounded out the top ten after progressing through Q1.
Other riders such as Jack Miller (Pramac Yamaha) and Brad Binder (KTM) settled into mid-pack places, reflecting a tightly contested field. Meanwhile, Enea Bastianini’s session ended with a crash at Turn 1 during his final lap attempt, resulting in yellow flags that disrupted other riders’ flying laps. Bastianini qualified 17th, just ahead of fellow LCR teammates Johann Zarco and Somkiat Chantra, with Maverick Vinales completing the grid in 20th position.
Implications for the Indonesian Grand Prix and Beyond
Marco Bezzecchi’s record-breaking pole position at the Indonesian GP underscores his growing threat as a championship contender, especially as the season moves into its latter stages. His ability to consistently extract maximum performance from the Aprilia bike places him in a favorable position for the race, particularly given the struggles faced by established front-runners like Marquez and Bagnaia.
The contrast between Bezzecchi’s pace and other top riders points to a shifting competitive landscape in MotoGP, with younger talents like Aldeguer and Fernandez pushing hard in qualifying and challenging traditional favorites. Meanwhile, the multiple incidents during the session highlight the circuit’s demanding nature and the fine margins separating success from setbacks on race day.
As the Indonesian GP unfolds, attention will focus on whether Bezzecchi can convert his exceptional qualifying performance into race success, and whether other riders can recover from qualifying challenges to make a decisive impact in the points standings.
