Can Bagnaia join the history books with an eighth win on Sunday?

motogp.com

28 Sep 2024

Have a look at some interesting facts and records which could be broken on race day at Mandalika

LAST LAPS: Title rivals clash in epic Sprint finale!

Relive the ending to Saturday's showpiece event as Pecco Bagnaia took victory ahead of a hard charging Enea Bastianini and Marc Marquez in Indonesia

1. Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) has qualified on pole position for the sixth time so far this year, setting a new all-time lap record at Mandalika. The last time he qualified on pole and went on to win on Sunday was in France earlier this year. He crashed and rejoined in the Sprint to finish P10, not scoring points. Nevertheless, on Sunday, he will aim to take his eighth MotoGP™ win overall and third of the season. He is still leading the Championship but now with only a 12-point advantage over Bagnaia.

2. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) has qualified fourth for his best qualifying at Mandalika. This is the first time he missed out on the top three in qualifying since Germany, when he qualified fourth but won the Grand Prix race. He took his fifth Sprint win of 2024, and he will now be aiming to take his fourth double (Sprint and GP wins) of 2024.

Martin's war of words with Bagnaia: "It's easy to speak when things go well"

An opening lap crash for the Championship leader saw him blank in the Sprint, and is eager to hit back at his title rival in Sunday's Indonesian GP

3. If Bagnaia wins the GP race, 2024 will be his best MotoGP™ season regarding wins, and he’ll be the first rider to take eight (or more) wins in a single MotoGP™ season since Marc Marquez in 2019 (12), and would join Marquez, Casey Stoner, Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo as the only riders to have won eight or more Grand Prix races in a single MotoGP season. He is second in the Championship but is now just 12 points behind Martin.

4. Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) didn’t set a lap time after crashing in Q2 twice, meaning he has crashed in the last three Q2s, and so qualified 12th for his worst qualifying result since Germany earlier this year. He finished P3 in the Sprint (his seventh Sprint podium of 2024) and will be aiming to win for the third time this year, along with Aragon and San Marino. Mandalika is one of the four tracks where he has raced and never won in the premier class so far, along with Portimão, the Red Bull Ring and Buddh. If Marquez were to win from 12th on the grid, he would be the first winner from that far back on the grid since Bagnaia (P13) in the 2023 Indonesian GP.

Bagnaia baffled by Martin mistake: "He entered too fast!"

The victorious Italian capitalised on his title rival's Lap 1 Sprint error to the fullest, and later admitted he was surprised by the Spaniard's approach into Turn 16

5. Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) qualified fifth despite a crash in Q2, taking his seventh top six in qualifying so far this season. He took his third Sprint podium of the year, finishing P2, and he will now aim to take his eighth MotoGP™ win overall and third of the season. It would be his first GP wins in back-to-back MotoGP™ races.

6. A FIRST AT MANDALIKA?: Aprilia, Yamaha and Honda riders will be aiming to give their manufacturer(s) their first win at Mandalika. So far, their best results here are P2, P2, and P9, respectively.

How did M. Marquez turn his Q2 nightmare into a Sprint podium?

The #93 hit the deck twice in the morning before bouncing back with a superb Sprint start that teed up another Saturday medal

7. 12/12?: If Ducati win, it will be their 12th MotoGP™ GP win in a row, setting a new personal record. Ducati would be the first manufacturer to win 12 premier class races in a row since Honda in 2014 (12).

8. Despite a crash in Q2, Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) has qualified second, equalling his best qualifying result so far this season from Jerez. He finished P4 in the Sprint – his best Sprint result so far this year – after going wide when fighting for the lead, narrowly avoiding contact with Bagnaia. He will be aiming to take his first win since India last year and to stand on the podium for the second time in 2024, along with Jerez, where he was P3.

Ready to pounce: Bastianini primed for Sunday's race

After triumphing in a fierce battle with Marc Marquez for second, Enea’s confidence is sky-high as he looks to strike again in Indonesia

9. Rookie Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) qualified third for his third top three in qualifying of the season, along with Austin and Aragon, when he finished on the podium on Sunday on both days. He finished P6 in the Sprint and aged 20 years 127 days old on Sunday, he will aim to become the second-youngest premier class winner after Marc Marquez (20 years and 63 days old in Austin in 2013). He can mathematically be crowned the Rookie of the Year if he wins on Sunday, and only if he wins.

10. Via Q1, Johann Zarco (Castrol Honda LCR) has qualified seventh for his best qualifying result since he joined Honda this year. He finished P8 in the Sprint, which is the first time he has scored points in a Sprint this year and Honda’s best result in a Sprint this year. He will now be aiming to score his best GP result with Honda if he beats P12 he scored in Qatar, France and San Marino.

Can Bagnaia secure his eighth victory of the season on Sunday to join the likes of Marquez, Stoner, Rossi and Lorenzo? Tune in at 15:00 local time (UTC +8) to find out!