MotoGP Recap - Bezzecchi holds on to Championship hopes with Grand Prix win in Indonesia
14 October 2026Marco Bezzecchi did valuable work to keep his name in contention for the 2026 MotoGP World Championship at the Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia, taking the victory in the Grand Prix after an incident during the Sprint saw him claim another Saturday DNF.
HRC Honda Castrol’s Joan Mir was absent from the MotoGP paddock again this weekend due to illness, with test rider and former full-time MotoGP rider Aleix Espargaro riding in his place. However after completing the first two days of on-track action, Espargaro was forced to withdraw from Sunday’s Grand Prix, due to the physical demands of the circuit, combined with the impact of an extended period of time away from riding whilst recovering from a big testing crash earlier in the season.
Marc Marquez takes win in chaotic Sprint
Marc Marquez claimed Sprint win number eight of 2026 on Saturday, taking back the lead in the MotoGP Championship standings with a four point advantage over Jorge Martin.
Saturday morning at the Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit saw SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team’s Raul Fernandez claim his first pole position in the premier class, with a 1:28.852s lap time, but his Sprint was over as soon as it had begun, after an incident at the first corner saw the polesitter and Marco Bezzecchi both in the gravel, with Fernandez suffering two broken fingers.
The early drama resulted in Jorge Martin then taking the lead, looking to extend his advantage in the MotoGP title fight. With his main rival for the Championship, Marc Marquez, following behind in 2nd, Martin put his head down and gained an advantage of over a second as the laps went on, another Sprint victory looking likely. But with 5 laps remaining, everything changed at the front. Tyre pressure issues caused Martin to sit up and allow Marquez through, giving us a different Sprint leader, and a different Championship leader. The next few laps saw Martin desperately trying to catch up to Marquez, all the while Ai Ogura and Fabio Di Giannantonio were behind him, eyeing up a potential podium finish. With two laps to go, a mistake for Martin saw him run off track, allowing both Ogura and Di Giannantonio through, and Martin to settle for a 4th place finish, as Marc Marquez took the victory, and retook the lead of the MotoGP World Championship with a four point advantage.
Bezzecchi back on the top step with Grand Prix victory
Sunday’s Grand Prix saw a much better first lap for Fernandez, who was able to convert his pole position into an early lead. Immediately, the race looked to be strong for Aprilia, as despite the injuries sustained during yesterday’s Sprint, Fernandez was putting together an impressive race, with Bezzecchi running in 2nd, and Martin working his way up to 3rd on Lap 3, after initially dropping down to 6th at the start. Meanwhile, Marc Marquez was battling with Pedro Acosta for 4th, the 2027 teammates fighting to keep track position and appropriate tyre pressure.
As the race continued, Bezzecchi closed in on Fernandez, and the beginning of Lap 19 saw the move complete, with Bezzecchi taking the lead and Fernandez running wide, instantly creating a gap between the top two. Bezzecchi took his fifth victory of the season, his first since the Brembo Grand Prix of Italy at the end of May. Despite the pain from his broken fingers, Fernandez was able to hold onto 2nd, followed by Martin in 3rd. A late charge from Ai Ogura saw him pass Acosta and Marquez to finish 4th, giving Aprilia their first ever 1-2-3-4 finish in MotoGP, adding to their growing list of achievements in 2026.
A 6th place finish marked a big achievement for Marc Marquez - his first time finishing a Grand Prix in Indonesia, but the Championship lead switched again with Martin’s podium finish, seeing Marquez now sitting two points behind.
Guevara continues closing on Gonzalez with Moto2 win
Izan Guevara is now just 5.5 points behind Manuel Gonzalez in the Moto2 World Championship standings, after taking his third consecutive victory on Sunday. An incident at the first corner involving Daniel Holgado, David Alonso, Joe Roberts, and Colin Veijer brought out red flags, leading to a restart with a new race distance of 14 laps. All riders thankfully walked away from the incident without serious injuries, though only Holgado and Veijer were able to participate in the restart, with the damage to the bikes of Alonso and Roberts preventing them from racing.
It was Alex Escrig who led after the restart, having lined up 2nd on the grid, as Guevara followed behind, with Holgado riding in 3rd after a brief battle with Ivan Ortola. Escrig continued at the front, looking strong, his first win in the Championship on the horizon, as Championship leader Gonzalez worked his way through the field from 10th on the grid, and by Lap 7, was sitting in 4th. With five laps to go, Gonzalez made his move on Holgado to take 3rd, as Guevara was closing in on Escrig.
With two laps remaining, it was heartbreak for Escrig, as a technical issue forced him to retire, watching that maiden win slip away, as Guevara took the lead of the race, reaching the chequered flag to take the win, ahead of Gonzalez, with Holgado rounding out the podium.
Quiles crowned Moto3 World Champion
Maximo Quiles came through from 6th on the grid to win Sunday's Moto3 race to take his tenth win of the season, and secure the 2026 Moto3 World Championship.
Almansa got a good start from 2nd on the grid to take the lead, with Quiles up to 3rd at the first corner, and was running in 2nd by the end of the first lap. The start of Lap 2 saw Quiles’ first attempt at challenging for the race lead, but Almansa knew what he had to do, and immediately took it back. As is often the case in Moto3, a large leading group had formed, with positions changing every corner. But amongst the Lap 2 chaos, Quiles seized the opportunity and hit the front, beginning another dominant display to eventually see him take the win 2.994s ahead of Almansa, who fought his way through the tussling group to secure 2nd, with Brian Uriarte taking the final podium spot.
With a 132 point advantage, Quiles was crowned the 2026 Moto3 World Champion, becoming only the fourth rider in history to secure a Championship in any class with five rounds still to go, after Giacomo Agostini, Mike Hailwood, and Marc Marquez. An incredible achievement for the 18-year-old, who moves up to Moto2 next season.
New MotoGP race weekend format announced for 2027 season
Wednesday saw the confirmation of a new weekend format for MotoGP, starting in 2027 alongside the new technical regulations, with changes across all three days.
Next season, Fridays will see two Free Practice sessions, followed by the most notable of the changes - the introduction of a separate Sprint qualifying session, giving us two grids for each Round. Saturdays will see a third Free Practice session, before Grand Prix qualifying, which will also take a new direction. With the removal of Friday’s Practice session, all 22 riders will participate in Q1, fighting for their spot in Q2, followed by the Sprint later in the afternoon. Sundays will no longer see a morning warm up session for MotoGP, with the pit lane instead being open for 10 minutes before Sunday’s race, to allow for additional sighting laps.
Round 18 sees teams and riders travel to the final MotoGP race at Philip Island before the Grand Prix of Australia moves to the Adelaide Street Circuit next season. Whilst the Moto3 World Champion has been crowned, the Moto2 and MotoGP title fights are still very much alive.
