Hot on the heels of last weekend’s Emilia Romagna round, the ‘flyaway’ stage of the 2024 MotoGP World Championship kicks off with the Indonesian Grand Prix at Mandalika.
Despite Jorge Martin losing out on victory to Enea Bastianini on the last lap in Misano, Francesco Bagnaia’s seventh DNF of the season handed the Pramac rider a 24-point title lead over the reigning champion.
Bastianini begins the final six rounds holding third in the world championship, 59 points behind Martin but just one ahead of 2025 replacement Marc Marquez.
Martin won last year’s Mandalika Sprint race to briefly take the 2023 title lead, before a mistake while leading the grand prix handed the initiative back to Bagnaia.
Aprilia’s Maverick Vinales and Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo joined race winner Bagnaia on the 2023 Indonesian Grand Prix podium.
Martin starts on pole after smashing the lap record, while Bagnaia was fourth, Bastianini fifth and Marquez 12th after two crashes in Q2.
The 13-lap Sprint race beginning at 3pm (8am BST).
Well, that was certainly dramatic!
Thanks for your company this morning. Keep your eyes on Crash.net across the rest of Saturday for all of the reaction from the sprint.
Join us again on Sunday from 8am BST for live coverage of the 2024 Indonesian Grand Prix.
Bagnaia takes a vital sprint win from Ducati team-mate Bastianini, with Marc Marquez third.
Martin doesn't score points in 10th after his crash. His championship lead is down to 12 now.
Onto the final lap and Bagnaia's lead is 0.8s over Bastianini. Martin is 11th.
A.Fernandez has crashed.
Bastianini gets the move done on Marquez at Turn 10.
Bagnaia's lead stands at 0.3s across the line as Bastianini continues to hound Marquez.
Bastianini has made a mistake at Turn 10. It's not cost him too much. He's clearly quicker than Marquez.
Bagnaia holds the lead, but it's only 0.172s across the line. Bastianini was under a tenth behind Marquez.
Bastianini is really closing on Marquez through lap 10. He looks like the real danger man in this sprint now.
Martin picks off Alex Marquez into Turn 1 for 12th.
Four laps to go and the top three are all together across the line.
Martin is now 13th.
Replay shows Quartararo making contact with Morbidelli at Turn 16, which explains why he dropped back.
Bagnaia's lead is 0.208s over Marquez as Bastianini sets a new fastest lap - though he's stuck 0.5s behind Marquez.
Bastianini has just set the fastest lap as Bagnaia holds the lead from Marquez at the start of lap eight.
Quartararo is struggling here and has dropped back to 11th.
Bezzecchi almost runs into the back of Bagnaia as he gets it wrong on the brakes at Turn 10! That was so close. Marquez now second.
Bezzecchi was fastest last time around and is 0.14s behind across the line to start lap seven. Acosta has a warning for track limits in fifth.
Martin has worked his way up to 15th with eight laps to go.
The top four all set race fastest laps last time around. Bastianini has got half a second to bridge to get onto the back of Marquez.
The top three are virtually nose to tail now at the start of lap six. This race has a long way to go yet!
Bagnaia still leads by 0.4s over Bezzecchi - who is making that soft front work well - and Marquez.
Quartararo takes advantage of Di Giannantonio running wide at Turn 12 to take sixth.
Bastianini gets Acosta at Turn 10 to move up to fifth.
