Pramac Racing's Jorge Martín dominated the crash-filled Indonesian Grand Prix at Mandalika from start to finish, securing his third victory of the season and extending his lead over reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia to 21 points in the MotoGP standings.
Martín, who started from pole position in the hot and humid conditions at the Mandalika International Street Circuit, maintained his lead throughout the race, even as fellow Spaniard Pedro Acosta kept close behind. The jubilant 26-year-old celebrated his win by punching the air, a year after crashing at the same race and losing his championship lead, eventually finishing as runner-up to Bagnaia.
"I am very happy. This is not just any victory because I think after all that happened last season, after yesterday's crash, to perform this way was quite difficult," said Martín, who also crashed in Saturday's sprint race. "I had a lot of – not doubts – because I trust in myself but, you know, I thought about crashing every corner. Being able to find that feeling during the race and to win today with this gap was incredible. A lot of pressure from Pedro, so really happy. I think we are ready for the next."
Martín now leads the championship with 366 points, while Bagnaia trails with 345 points. Bagnaia, aiming to win eight races in a season for the first time in his MotoGP career, qualified fourth on the grid and won the sprint on Saturday, reducing his gap with Martín to 12 points.
However, the Italian had a poor start on Sunday, remaining in fourth after a slow launch, before drifting wide and being overtaken by Franco Morbidelli and Marco Bezzecchi, dropping to sixth on the second lap. Bagnaia eventually moved up to fifth after his Ducati teammate Enea Bastianini crashed out late in the race. He then capitalized on errors by Bezzecchi and Morbidelli to secure a podium finish and minimize the damage caused by Martín's victory.
"A very, very tough race. I struggled a lot at the start because, again, I lost position," Bagnaia said. "We have to check because it's the fifth start in a row that we are struggling. So we have to improve in that area because with the start you can win a race." "Then when I was behind [Bezzecchi and Morbidelli], I struggled to overtake them. As soon as I got in front, I was able to push again, but I was too late."
Bastianini's crash effectively ended his hopes of an outside title victory, leaving him 54 points behind Bagnaia in the drivers' standings. Meanwhile, six-time MotoGP champion Marc Márquez (Gresini Racing) had a difficult race, starting from the fourth row after crashing twice during qualifying. He suffered technical issues midway through the race and was forced to abandon his flaming bike.
The first lap saw a yellow flag after Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM) locked up and slipped, taking out Aleix Espargaró (Aprilia), Luca Marini (Repsol Honda), and Álex Márquez (Gresini Racing).
