MotoGP

Bastianini tops nervy, crash-filled Indonesia MotoGP practice two

by Valentin Khorounzhiy
2 min read

Enea Bastianini led a Ducati 1-2-3-4-5 at the end of Friday practice at the Indonesian Grand Prix at Mandalika.

Key moments:

  • Ducati supremacy restored...
  • ... but Bagnaia flirted with disaster
  • Yamaha and Honda continue to make gains
  • Crashes aplenty

While reigning champion Pecco Bagnaia looked at risk of missing out on the top 10 and having to fight through Q1 for much of the session, ultimately the four 2024-spec Ducatis all wound up at the sharp end, all placing within a tenth.

Bastianini's 1m29.630s stands as the new lap record, one the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix winner could've improved on that on his final attempt if not for coming up on Tech3 Gas Gas rider Augusto Fernandez in the final sector.

Pramac duo Jorge Martin and Franco Morbidelli slotted in behind him, while Bagnaia - who before then had shown marginal top-10 pace at best - strung a solid effort together at the very end to ensure comfortable progression into Q2 on Saturday.

Marco Bezzecchi was the best of the 2023-spec Ducatis in fifth, followed by Fabio Quartararo - who made Yamaha the second-fastest manufacturer on the day.

Gresini Ducati rider Marc Marquez had a highlights-reel save at Turn 10 earlier in the session and ultimately took eighth place, followed by Tech3 Gas Gas rider Pedro Acosta - who shrugged off a Turn 1 crash.

Marquez's team-mate and brother Alex Marquez also had a crash, while going through Turn 16 in Bagnaia's tow, with the fall consigning him to last place on the leaderboard as the sole Ducati rider to miss out on a direct Q2 spot.

Turn 16 proved treacherous for others during the session, too. Fabio Di Giannantonio (VR46 Ducati) fell there at the very end, but had already secured a top-10 spot in ninth, while before that it had caught out Aprilia's Aleix Espargaro twice.

Aprilia was represented in the top 10 by not Espargaro but team-mate Maverick Vinales, 0.370s off the pace in 10th.

Honda's more-competitive-than-usual form carried on from first practice, though Johann Zarco (LCR) and works rider Luca Marini both came up a tenth short of Q2.

Brad Binder (KTM) had his session compromised by a Turn 10 crash and ultimately could do no better than 14th - second-best of the KTM/Gas Gas RC16 contingent but two tenths down on Acosta.

The field is down to 21 riders for the rest of the weekend following Miguel Oliveira's wrist fracture - a fracture described as "serious" by Trackhouse Aprilia team boss Davide Brivio - in first practice.

Oliveira is thus set for a substantial spell on the sidelines, with Aprilia test rider Lorenzo Savadori in frame to replace him at Motegi.

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