The 2023 Indonesian GP threw up an incredibly dramatic race that will live long in the memory, with the title fight taking yet another twist. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) profited from Jorge Martin’s (Prima Pramac Racing) crash to punish the Spaniard to the maximum and regain control of the Championship.
While that will dominate the headlines, there were plenty of other stories to emerge from Mandalika, so without further ado, let’s dive into some of the biggest Talking Points from the weekend!
“I hope he’s a bit scared again”
Bagnaia’s victory paired with Martin’s crash means that the Italian is out front in the standings, with 18 points between the two heading to Phillip Island. Post-race, both riders reacted to what seems a pivotal moment in the Championship chase.
Bagnaia: “This win absolutely is very, very important. It’s a similar feeling to Malaysia last year. It was very important to have this win. I did the maximum in both cases. Very, very, very happy. I know perfectly that Jorge is very fast, but we deserved this victory.”
Martin: “I did an amazing race until the crash. I am the fastest at the moment, so I have to be calm and still 10 races too. So still a long way to go.
“So I'm the guy chasing again, so now I hope he’s a bit scared again!”
“Jorge will bounce back”
While the focus is rightly on Bagnaia and Martin, Marco Bezzecchi still sits third in the Championship, still within striking range just 63 points off the top. The Mooney VR46 rider also weighed in on Sunday’s drama.
“I think that Jorge and Pecco, both of them are really strong. Pecco is already a World Champion, but Jorge is in fantastic shape. It's normal to make some mistakes sometimes. Pecco did it a couple of races ago and Jorge did it today.
“When I saw Jorge crash honestly I didn't know that Pecco was almost leading. But after some laps I saw in the big screen that Pecco was first and I knew that he was going to win. Because he’s very good in this kind of situation, but for sure, Jorge will bounce back and I hope also to be there in Phillip Island."
Bezzecchi rode through the pain barrier too, having fractured his collarbone just a week previous to the race, and he felt like he had been in the wars after the race, but nothing that a few cold ones wouldn’t help with!
“I have pain in my shoulder, in all the muscles in the neck. But the collarbone is OK. Just the plate is something that is creating me a strange feeling because I never had a plate. So I can feel the plate.
“Yeah, I already had one or two beers. For sure I will have more… party first and then sleep tomorrow!”
“It was a big mistake”
Just before lights out, we saw some last-minute tyre changes in Mandalika, most notably with Aleix Espargaro. The factory Aprilia rider opted for the soft option but immediately came to regret the decision as he struggled home to P10, having launched from the front row.
“It’s a team mistake but I’m the last one who decides so it was a big mistake. I had a bad feeling in the warm-up. Very, very bad. Maybe it was not the best tyre in the warm-up and maybe instead of insist and put in the Medium like everybody finally I decided to put in the Soft and I was expecting the drop but maybe a little further into the race. I lost a good opportunity today.”
“All the unlucky moments are coming one by one”
Johann Zarco also encountered significant struggles during the Indonesian GP, with a technical issue causing him to run towards the back of the field before crashing out 14 laps in.
“From the first corner, my rear device remained down. I really tried to understand if my switch was on or off but the switch was working well. It was the system that stayed down.
“I was getting used to the ‘new’ bike and trying to follow Morbidelli I made the mistake coming into Turn 11. I had it under control but at Turn 11, it was sliding so much and I could not take one point. I think if I had finished the race, then I would have been in 15th position. It’s so crazy; all the unlucky moments are coming one by one in a row.”
“It is not just a sport; it’s my life”
Fabio Di Giannantonio recorded a career-best result in Indonesia, romping home to P4 to cap what was a hugely impressive weekend for the Italian. It was also the perfect response to losing his Gresini seat, with the #49 out to prove his worth as a MotoGP™ rider. Speaking after Sunday’s race, Diggia revealed the emotional toll talk surrounding his future has taken, and wanted to remind everyone of the human aspect oft-forgotten behind the riders we see on our screens.
“I have to say I’m human, like all of you and everybody in the so I have emotions and I have feelings so for sure it has been tough and it is not just a sport; it’s my life. Being talked about in my job and my life has been one of the toughest things in my life. But also, as a human we are about being strong and I have been strong when I’ve been down.
"I wanted to be strong, work, be focused, close social medias. Block out the rumours and various comments and just work on myself. I wanted to be in the cave and work like crazy, you know? These small results say ‘Hey man! You are doing good. It has not been easy, but you are coming back!”