Miguel Oliveira added a new victory to his record in MotoGP after winning the chaotic Indonesian Grand Prix. The Portuguese rider dominated comfortably under the rain that has accompanied the premiere of the Mandalika circuit throughout the weekend. Fabio Quartararo got the second position ahead of Johan Zarco. Marc Márquez has missed the appointment after suffering a significant fall this morning.
The day started with a spectacular fall of Marc Márquez in the ‘Warm Up’ which forced him to receive medical care at the circuit’s reference hospital. On his return to the Mandalika track, he was wearing a bandage on the elbow of his right arm. Finally, it was known that the man from Cervera suffered a head injury that, although without consequences, made it advisable that he not take the start. The first setback of the day came when the asphalt was beginning to show signs of deterioration especially in the turn 17 area. Because of this, it was decided to shorten the race by seven laps.
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In addition to reducing its length, the race started an hour and a quarter later of the scheduled time due to the heavy rains present in Mandalika. Finally, the drivers took the start of this chaotic Grand Prix. Fabio Quartaro made a great start to defend the first position from which he started. From the third row, Álex Rins and Miguel Oliveira signed another great start and placed themselves in second and third position. Just a few curves later it was Jack Miller the one who was placed in podium position. Thus, the group that would fight until the end for the first positions was being configured.
Soon the Portuguese KTM rider would take the lead of the race, although he would be overtaken by Miller. The Australian was responsible for breaking up the group by imposing a rhythm that only Oliveira was capable of following. Three laps later, the man from Pragal would launch the final attack that would lead him to place yourself in first position and open an important gap. From then on, he was able to run with no pressure other than not to make a mistake himself. Behind, Rins occupied the third position followed by Johan Zarco and Fabio Quartararo.
After some initial shock, Jorge Martín ended up going to the ground when he was running in seventh position. The test reached its halfway point when Zarco passed Rins’s Suzuki to place himself on the podium. He was also trying with Miller next, but the Pramarc driver went wide and ended up being overtaken by Quartararo. With two laps to go, the current world champion also passed Miller to finish second. Third place would end up going to Zarco after overtaking again the Australian from Ducati who would finally be fourth.
The Suzukis of Álex Rins and Joan Mir would sign the fifth and sixth places, followed by Franco Morbidelli and Brad Binder in the seventh and eighth position. Aleix Espargaró and Darryn Binder would complete the day’s top ten group, just ahead of Enea Bastianini who retains the leadership of the World Cup. Pol Espargaró completed a disappointing weekend for Honda with twelfth position. Álex Marquez was thirteenth, Maverick Viñales sixteenth and Raúl Fernández seventeenth.
Photos: KTM Racing/Yamaha