MotoGP Indonesia GP 2026: Raul Fernandez Takes Maiden Pole as Aprilia Locks Out Front Row

Lombok, Indonesia, October 10, 2026: Raul Fernandez claimed his maiden MotoGP pole position at the 2026 Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia, leading an Aprilia-powered front row at the Mandalika International Street Circuit in Lombok. The Trackhouse MotoGP Team rider set a blistering lap of 1:28.852 to beat Aprilia Racing’s Marco Bezzecchi by 0.109 seconds, while Fabio Di Giannantonio secured third place for Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team.

Fernandez’s breakthrough performance put him in prime position for the Tissot Sprint and Sunday’s Grand Prix, while championship contenders Jorge Martin and Marc Marquez were forced to settle for fifth and fourth on the grid, respectively.

Bezzecchi completed an Aprilia 1-2 at the front, underlining the manufacturer’s strong pace at Mandalika. Di Giannantonio, meanwhile, celebrated his birthday with a front-row start after producing a competitive qualifying performance.

Q1: Aldeguer and Ogura advance after crash-filled session

The opening 15-minute qualifying session delivered plenty of drama as riders battled for the two available places in Q2.

BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP’s Fermin Aldeguer initially set the pace with his best lap of the weekend, only for Trackhouse MotoGP Team rider Ai Ogura to move ahead with a 1:29.729. The Japanese rider held a slender 0.016-second advantage before Aldeguer responded to reclaim the top spot by 0.090 seconds.

Ogura’s qualifying session ended prematurely when he crashed at Turn 12 in the closing stages. However, his earlier lap proved sufficient to secure second place and a ticket to Q2 alongside Aldeguer.

The session was marked by several other incidents. Castrol Honda LCR rider Johann Zarco crashed at Turn 1 on his first flying lap, while Jack Miller of Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP fell at Turn 2. Enea Bastianini of Red Bull KTM Tech3 and Diogo Moreira of Pro Honda LCR also crashed at Turn 1.

One of the standout efforts came from Toprak Razgatlioglu. Despite dislocating his right shoulder in FP2 less than an hour earlier, the Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP rider returned to qualifying and finished within a second of Aldeguer’s benchmark.

Q2: Fernandez delivers decisive lap for pole position

The battle for pole began with Marc Marquez leading Bezzecchi by just 0.025 seconds as the leading riders initially circulated in the 1:29 range.

Di Giannantonio subsequently moved into second place before Bezzecchi raised the pace with a 1:28.961, putting the Aprilia Racing rider provisionally on pole. Fernandez slotted into second, initially 0.211 seconds behind his fellow Aprilia-powered rival.

Martin, meanwhile, struggled to find his rhythm during his opening attempts. The championship leader sat seventh, 0.814 seconds off teammate Bezzecchi, as the pressure mounted ahead of the final runs.

With six minutes remaining, Martin headed back onto the circuit with Marquez following closely behind. The two leading contenders in the 2026 championship were both chasing improvements, but Fernandez was about to produce the decisive lap.

The Trackhouse rider clocked 1:28.852 to move to the top of the timesheets, establishing a new target for the remaining challengers. Martin and Marquez both improved their times, with the Ducati Lenovo Team rider initially edging his championship rival, but neither could dislodge Fernandez from provisional pole.

Di Giannantonio also found more pace to secure a front-row position.

Bezzecchi looked capable of mounting another challenge, but his next attempt was interrupted by yellow flags following a crash involving Aldeguer at Turn 16. Although the Italian had time for another flying lap, he could not improve on his earlier effort.

Marquez also fell short of pole after losing time in the second sector despite a strong opening split. The final classification left Fernandez first, Bezzecchi second and Di Giannantonio third.

Martin and Marquez face challenge from the second row

The qualifying outcome sets up an intriguing contest for the Sprint, with both championship protagonists starting outside the front row.

Marquez qualified fourth for Ducati Lenovo Team, ahead of championship leader Martin in fifth. Aldeguer completed the second row in sixth for Gresini Racing, giving the 2025 Indonesian GP winner another opportunity to fight near the front.

Ogura recovered impressively from his Q1 crash to take seventh, ahead of Gresini teammate Alex Marquez in eighth. Pedro Acosta completed the top nine for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, with the leading nine riders separated by approximately half a second.

Francesco Bagnaia qualified 10th for Ducati Lenovo Team, followed by Franco Morbidelli in 11th and Fabio Quartararo in 12th.

With Martin and Marquez starting fourth and fifth, the opening laps of the Sprint could prove particularly important in the championship battle. Fernandez, meanwhile, will look to convert his first premier-class pole position into a strong result in front of the Indonesian fans.

MotoGP Indonesia GP 2026: Qualifying Results

Note: The supplied report confirms the starting positions of the top 12 riders. Lap times for the complete qualifying classification were not provided.

MotoGP Sprint in Indonesia: Fernandez targets maiden victory

Fernandez heads into the Indonesian Sprint with a major opportunity to convert his breakthrough pole position into a maiden MotoGP race victory. Bezzecchi and Di Giannantonio will line up alongside him, while Marquez and Martin will be looking to make early progress from the second row.

The Sprint is scheduled to begin at 15:00 local time in Indonesia, with the Mandalika circuit set to host another crucial chapter in the 2026 MotoGP championship battle.