Solid Sprint for Johann Zarco in Mandalika
Pertamina Mandalika International CircuitJohann Zarco ends Saturday as Honda's top rider in Indonesia
Starting from 20th on the grid after a difficult qualifying session, in which he crashed without consequences and was unable to make it through to Q2, Zarco faced a challenging Sprint. The Frenchman made a good start and put himself in contention for a strong result. Zarco managed to overtake several rivals without making mistakes and eventually crossed the finish line in 12th position.
A number of falls late in Q1 meant that Marini’s final laps in the session were compromised by the frequent yellow flags, the Italian starting in 15th place as a result. With making up ground the only option, the #10 authored one of his best starts of the year and found himself in ninth after the first corner. Six places gained, Marini spent the first half of the 13-lap Sprint battling with Fabio Quartararo before focusing on defence as he struggled for grip. 15th at the close, he was left puzzled by his drop in performance compared to 2025 but still has a few ideas for Sunday.
Pro Honda LCR's Diogo Moreira had a difficult Qualifying session and started the Sprint from 21st on the grid. The Brazilian struggled to find the right feeling with the front end as the laps went by, and opted for a conservative ride to avoid a potential crash. He eventually crossed the finish line 17th position.
Apart from his fall early on, Aleix Espargaro’s Saturday was compromised by his physical condition due to the injuries sustained earlier in the year limiting his training and time on the Honda. The ambient temperatures combined with the physical demands of the Indonesian track present a significant challenge even for those in their best physical condition, Espargaro soldering on to finish the Sprint in 20th regardless.
The 27-lap Indonesian Grand Prix is scheduled to start at 15:00 Local Time with temperatures expected to climb even higher. A true physical challenge awaits the MotoGP World Championship grid.
It was a tough qualifying, and starting from P20 makes things difficult. However, we had the chance to try the medium tyre and get some useful information for Sunday. We found some advantages, which is positive. After all the crashes today, finishing 12th is a good sign ahead of the race. We’re struggling quite a lot with the bike at this track, but let’s see what we can do tomorrow!
It was a tough qualifying, and starting from P20 makes things difficult. However, we had the chance to try the medium tyre and get some useful information for Sunday. We found some advantages, which is positive. After all the crashes today, finishing 12th is a good sign ahead of the race. We’re struggling quite a lot with the bike at this track, but let’s see what we can do tomorrow!
Another tricky day. In Qualifying the yellow flag cost us a lap and maybe I could have been in Q2 with another lap, but this can happen especially when the conditions are tricky like today. In the race I made a great start but then the grip dropped away and I was not able to ride how I wanted. The second half of the race was spent trying to save the work we did at the very start and hold onto my position. One more chance tomorrow.
Another tricky day. In Qualifying the yellow flag cost us a lap and maybe I could have been in Q2 with another lap, but this can happen especially when the conditions are tricky like today. In the race I made a great start but then the grip dropped away and I was not able to ride how I wanted. The second half of the race was spent trying to save the work we did at the very start and hold onto my position. One more chance tomorrow.
Today has been difficult ever since qualifying. I struggled a lot during the Sprint, and we’ve tried different things, but we haven’t been able to find the right feeling to push. It’s the same situation for all the Honda bikes here, so we’re just trying to do our best. Let’s see how things go tomorrow. It won’t be easy, but hopefully we can score some points!
Today has been difficult ever since qualifying. I struggled a lot during the Sprint, and we’ve tried different things, but we haven’t been able to find the right feeling to push. It’s the same situation for all the Honda bikes here, so we’re just trying to do our best. Let’s see how things go tomorrow. It won’t be easy, but hopefully we can score some points!
A difficult day today suffering with quite a lot of physical discomfort. The objective was just to finish the Sprint out of respect to the team for their efforts. The bike feeling with the bike is quite good and the crash we had was quite small. We need to check the situation for tomorrow and see what the best option is.
A difficult day today suffering with quite a lot of physical discomfort. The objective was just to finish the Sprint out of respect to the team for their efforts. The bike feeling with the bike is quite good and the crash we had was quite small. We need to check the situation for tomorrow and see what the best option is.
