The second day of the racing weekend at the Mandalika circuit (Pertamina Mandalika) in Indonesia is marked by the MotoGP qualifying sessions and the sprint race. After Friday’s free practices, the riders are preparing for the first points distribution of the round. Marc Márquez is aiming to increase his tally and strengthen his position in the overall standings, where he has already surpassed last year’s season points record.
Last year, Jorge Martín finished the championship with 508 points, earning him the title of best in the world. However, Márquez, already a nine-time champion, has significantly improved on this result and currently holds 541 points. His closest rival is his brother Álex Márquez, who has 340 points. Álex is forced to defend second place, especially considering the progress of Francesco Bagnaia, who recently had an outstanding round at Motegi.
Practice in Mandalika brought unexpected results: for the first time this season, Marc Márquez found himself in the first qualifying session (Q1), taking 11th place and missing out on the next stage by just 0.068 seconds to Álex Márquez, who secured the last qualifying spot. The best time was set by Marco Bezzecchi, while Fermín Aldeguer and Pedro Acosta also made the practice podium. Francesco Bagnaia finished the session in 17th and now has to fight for a spot in the final through Q1.
In the Moto2 class, Dani Holgado secured his second win in the last three races with a confident performance on the Japanese track. Standings leader Manu González managed to minimize losses after a poor start and retains a 34-point lead over Brazilian Diogo Moreira. Arón Canet, who finished 15th in Motegi, is now 49 points behind.
In Moto3, David Muñoz claimed his third victory of the season, but the main highlight was José Antonio Rueda. The championship leader finished just behind Muñoz and now has a chance to clinch the title early if he outscores Ángel Piqueras by seven points at the Mandalika round.
All race broadcasts are available on DAZN and Movistar+, which hold exclusive rights to show MotoGP in Spain. Additionally, extensive coverage is provided by MARCA.com and Radio MARCA.
Schedule of key sessions for Saturday, October 4:
– Moto3, second practice: 02:40
– Moto2, second practice: 03:25
– MotoGP, second practice: 04:10
– MotoGP, Q1: 04:50
– MotoGP, Q2: 05:15
– Moto3, Q1: 06:45
– Moto3, Q2: 07:10
– Moto2, Q1: 07:40
– Moto2, Q2: 08:05
– MotoGP, sprint (13 laps): 09:00
