(PRIMASPORT) MANDALIKA – For Aprilia, such a negative Saturday in Indonesia was hard to imagine. Instead, Saturday at Mandalika paints a truly nightmare scenario for the Noale-based manufacturer, after a Sprint Race that earned Marc Marquez the win and the championship overtaking of Jorge Martin, while Marco Bezzecchi could now be permanently eliminated from the world championship race. The reason for this is a crash on the first corner while he was battling with the Catalan Ducati rider. (PRIMASPORT)
Qualifying for the Indonesian Grand Prix also provided the Sprint Race with a somewhat mixed starting grid, with Raul Fernandez on pole and Bezzecchi alongside him, while Marquez and Martin head the second row. However, the first few meters of Mandalika once again mixed things up, as Fabio Di Giannantonio, from third, seemed poised to take the lead, while behind him was an aggressive Marquez, who, as is his habit, entered the first corner forcefully and then had to brake quite abruptly. Bezzecchi paid the price, forced to brake hard and then widen the trajectory, losing control of his Aprilia, while poleman Fernandez was hit by the Romagnola rider, who was innocently knocked down.
«"Always like this!" blurts out Aprilia CEO Massimo Rivola in a lip-read caught on camera worldwide. "Marc was too aggressive, but I expected it," comments Davide Brivio, Trackhouse team principal and therefore Fernandez's boss, more immediately after the race. However, there are no disciplinary consequences or even official protests, and the race continues with Martin edging out Marquez, with Ai Ogura and Fabio Di Giannantonio battling for third place. There seems to be no further disruption, but with five laps to go (out of 13 total), Martin's front tire suddenly drops, instantly losing the lead in the Sprint Race and the championship. His Ducati compatriot easily passes him, moving from a four-point deficit to a one-point lead in the standings. The Madrid native attempts a desperate recovery, which only worsens the situation further: on the penultimate lap, his rear tire completely loses grip, dropping him to fourth place behind Ogura and Di Giannantonio. And now he's four points behind, while Bezzecchi plummets to 59. A nightmare scenario for Noale, as mentioned, while Borgo Panigale is abuzz (not thanks to Pecco Bagnaia, who started tenth and finished eighth only thanks to two impressive retirements). But there's still a Sunday to live, which could also upset the entire balance of power.
