Marc Marquez won the MotoGP sprint race at the Indonesian Grand Prix on Saturday at the Mandalika International Circuit, taking the championship lead for the first time in 2026.
The Ducati Lenovo rider finished with a time of 19 minutes 37.125 seconds, ahead of Ai Ogura of Trackhouse Aprilia by 0.509 seconds. Fabio Di Giannantonio of Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team completed the podium 0.835 seconds behind Marquez. Di Giannantonio, who turned 28 on Saturday, secured his third-place finish on his birthday.
Marquez's victory earned him 12 points, bringing his total to 343 and giving him a four-point advantage over Jorge Martin, who finished fourth. Martin had led the championship entering the race with 339 points.
The sprint began chaotically at the first turn. Raul Fernandez, who started from pole position, and Marco Bezzecchi collided and fell into the gravel, eliminating both from the race. Martin, starting from fifth, capitalized on the incident to take the lead, with Marquez following closely behind in second.
Martin built a lead of approximately 1.4 to 1.5 seconds over Marquez and appeared headed for victory. However, with five laps remaining, Martin deliberately slowed and allowed Marquez to pass, citing tire pressure concerns to avoid a penalty. Marquez took the lead and held it to the finish.
On the final lap, Martin attempted to regain the position but made an error and slid to fourth place, allowing Ogura and Di Giannantonio to move ahead of him.
Marquez said after the race that the conditions were difficult, particularly at the start. "It was a very hard race, especially at the beginning. When I saw Martin was ahead I gave everything. I made a mistake on the fourth lap but managed to catch him again," he said.
Marquez noted he felt dizzy after stepping on the podium, an unusual sensation he attributed to the combination of high heat, humidity, the sprint race format, and his leather racing suit. He said his condition returned to normal afterward.
The victory marked Marquez's first win at Mandalika. He had previously struggled at the circuit, with his best result before 2026 being a third-place finish in the sprint race in 2024.
Pedro Acosta finished sixth after serving a long lap penalty. Alex Marquez placed fifth, Fermin Aldeguer seventh, and Francesco Bagnaia eighth.
Marquez's comeback in the championship has been notable. He had trailed Marco Bezzecchi by 102 points after the Italian Grand Prix in May before closing the gap significantly through the season.