The Ducati Lenovo Team tackled the opening day of the Grand Prix of Indonesia at the Mandalika International Circuit. Marc Márquez and Francesco Bagnaia secured direct places in tomorrow’s Q2, having finished Practice in fifth and tenth positions, respectively.
Márquez, who finished second in FP1, remained consistently inside the top five throughout the afternoon session. With ten minutes remaining, Marc moved up to second position before ultimately finishing fifth. Bagnaia, thirteenth quickest in the morning’s FP1, returned to the top ten in the closing stages of Practice with a convincing time attack.
The Ducati Lenovo Team will be back in action at 10:10 local time (GMT+8) for Free Practice 2, followed by Q2 at 11:15 and the seventeenth Sprint of the season, which will be contested over 13 laps from 15:00.
Marc Márquez (#93 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 5th
“I feel better than expected. I usually struggle at the beginning at this track before improving throughout the weekend. This year, we were able to make progress much more quickly, and the feeling improved a lot. The race pace isn’t too bad, but we still need to improve a little in some areas of the track during time attack and on fresh tyres. We’re trying to find better speed in the flowing corners, while we’re already very competitive under braking and on corner entry. We need to keep working to close the gap to the front runners and try to ride more smoothly.”
Francesco Bagnaia (#63 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 10th
“I’m quite happy with the result. We did a lot of work and completed many laps today. We had noticed a few things in Japan, especially in the race, and the changes made with the team improved the feeling under braking and on corner entry, which makes a whole lot of difference. This is a track where we struggle a little, and we especially lose a lot of ground in sector two, between turns five and seven. I still lack a lot of grip, especially mid-corner and when first opening the throttle, but we have plenty of data to work on ahead of tomorrow and Sunday.”
Michael Le Pard (“Mr. Totalmotorcycle”) is the Founder of Total Motorcycle, the world’s largest motorcycle information site, trusted by over 430 million riders since 1999. With over 34 years of experience in motorcycles, gear and rider culture, he has built a global community dedicated to empowering and inspiring motorcyclists.
Total Motorcycle remains his passion project. Combining expert research, hands‑on knowledge and a commitment to helping riders make informed decisions about bikes, gear and safety worldwide.
