Qualifying
Moto2 2026
Round 17
Furusato Makes Qualifying Progress as Aji Prepares for Home GP Challenge
Pertamina Mandalika International CircuitIdemitsu Honda Team Asia completed qualifying for the 17th round of the 2026 Moto2 World Championship at the Pertamina Mandalika Circuit, with Taiyo Furusato making a clear step forward to secure a P15 starting position for Sunday's race. The Japanese rookie progressed from Q1 after finishing third, then qualified P16 in Q2 with a best lap of 1’32.730. Following grid penalties for other riders, Furusato will start the Indonesian Grand Prix from P15.
On the other side of the garage, Indonesian home hero Mario Suryo Aji will line up from P21 after finishing ninth in Q1, with a best lap of 1’32.922. Despite improving his feeling with the bike compared with Friday, the #64 rider narrowly missed the opportunity to progress to Q2, with the gaps between competitors proving extremely tight. Aji nevertheless remains determined to make the most of his home Grand Prix and fight for a positive result in front of the Indonesian fans.
Furusato's progress was one of the positives of the day, although he was unable to improve his best Q1 lap during the final qualifying session. The different tyre options used across Q1 and Q2 also provided useful information for the team as they prepare their race strategy. With 22 laps ahead in demanding conditions, both riders will look to make strong starts, maintain consistent pace and fight their way into the points.
Hiroshi Aoyama
⠀ ⠀ ⠀
IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia It was a bit of a mixed day for us. Both Taiyo and Mario had to go through Q1, but Taiyo managed to progress into Q2 after finishing third, while Mario ended his session in P9. The gaps were very tight, and Mario was only around three tenths of a second away from making it through. He made a few small mistakes during his time attack, so there was potentially more to achieve, but unfortunately he could not get the lap time he needed.
On Taiyo's side, advancing to Q2 was a positive step. He improved compared with Friday and showed that he could be competitive in Q1. He qualified P16 in Q2, and although he could not improve his lap time further, we learned useful information from using different tyre options across the two sessions. We need to consider that carefully when deciding our race strategy.
Overall, Taiyo made a good step forward today, and we want to build on that progress tomorrow. For Mario, the starting position makes the race more challenging, but his feeling with the bike is improving. Both riders have the potential to fight for points, and we will do our best to support them in achieving the strongest possible result.
It was a bit of a mixed day for us. Both Taiyo and Mario had to go through Q1, but Taiyo managed to progress into Q2 after finishing third, while Mario ended his session in P9. The gaps were very tight, and Mario was only around three tenths of a second away from making it through. He made a few small mistakes during his time attack, so there was potentially more to achieve, but unfortunately he could not get the lap time he needed.
On Taiyo's side, advancing to Q2 was a positive step. He improved compared with Friday and showed that he could be competitive in Q1. He qualified P16 in Q2, and although he could not improve his lap time further, we learned useful information from using different tyre options across the two sessions. We need to consider that carefully when deciding our race strategy.
Overall, Taiyo made a good step forward today, and we want to build on that progress tomorrow. For Mario, the starting position makes the race more challenging, but his feeling with the bike is improving. Both riders have the potential to fight for points, and we will do our best to support them in achieving the strongest possible result.
Taiyo Furusato
72
IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia Today was definitely better than Friday, and I think we made a clear step forward. In Q1, I was able to ride alone for quite a long time, which was positive because I could focus on my own riding and work on improving my lap time. Finishing third and advancing to Q2 was an important step for us.
In Q2, I had to use a different tyre, and the feeling was not as good as in Q1. I could not improve my lap time, but we learned something useful from the two sessions. We still need to improve a few things, and we will analyse the data with the team to understand where we can find more performance.
Starting from P15 gives us a chance to fight for a good result tomorrow. I want to make another step forward, get a strong start and do my best over the full race distance. We are moving in the right direction, and I want to keep that progress going in the race.
Today was definitely better than Friday, and I think we made a clear step forward. In Q1, I was able to ride alone for quite a long time, which was positive because I could focus on my own riding and work on improving my lap time. Finishing third and advancing to Q2 was an important step for us.
In Q2, I had to use a different tyre, and the feeling was not as good as in Q1. I could not improve my lap time, but we learned something useful from the two sessions. We still need to improve a few things, and we will analyse the data with the team to understand where we can find more performance.
Starting from P15 gives us a chance to fight for a good result tomorrow. I want to make another step forward, get a strong start and do my best over the full race distance. We are moving in the right direction, and I want to keep that progress going in the race.
Mario Aji
64
IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia It's not the result we wanted today, but the most important thing is that my feeling with the bike is improving compared with yesterday. We completed a long run this morning, and the lap times were not too bad, so there are some positive points we can take into the race.
Of course, starting from P21 is a big obstacle, especially here, but I have nothing to lose. Tomorrow is another day, and we still have 22 laps to fight and try to achieve a good result. I need to stay focused, make the best possible start and keep pushing throughout the race.
I want to thank the team because they have done a really good job today. We will analyse everything, prepare as well as possible and give it our best tomorrow. I'm racing at home, and I want to make the most of this opportunity and reward everyone's effort with a strong performance.
It's not the result we wanted today, but the most important thing is that my feeling with the bike is improving compared with yesterday. We completed a long run this morning, and the lap times were not too bad, so there are some positive points we can take into the race.
Of course, starting from P21 is a big obstacle, especially here, but I have nothing to lose. Tomorrow is another day, and we still have 22 laps to fight and try to achieve a good result. I need to stay focused, make the best possible start and keep pushing throughout the race.
I want to thank the team because they have done a really good job today. We will analyse everything, prepare as well as possible and give it our best tomorrow. I'm racing at home, and I want to make the most of this opportunity and reward everyone's effort with a strong performance.
