Jorge Martin back on top of the World Championship thanks to Mandalika podium: “The battle continues”

The old order has been restored. After Jorge Martin briefly had to relinquish the lead in the World Championship standings to sprint winner Marc Marquez following Saturday’s race at Mandalika, the Aprilia rider has reclaimed the top spot in the points table thanks to a podium finish in the Indonesian Grand Prix. The first two laps did not look promising for the Spaniard, who found himself in sixth place after the first lap, but he was able to overtake his rival Marc Márquez as early as lap 3. From that moment on, the ‘Martinator’ made sure not to ride too aggressively, having missed out on the sprint victory the previous day.

The top step of the podium was out of reach in the Grand Prix, as the Madrid native admitted during the podium celebrations: “I achieved the maximum today.” According to Martin, his team-mates Bezzecchi and Fernandez coped better with the conditions: “I gave it my all, but Marco and Raúl were stronger than me all weekend. Whenever I thought I was as fast as them, they’d step it up again.”

Even the first few metres of the race didn’t go to plan for the Madrid-born rider: “I lost a place at the start, but I tried to stay calm. After that, I managed to overtake several riders and made my way forward step by step.” After the first few corners, the rider with number 89 initially found himself behind Fabio Di Giannantonio and Fermin Aldeguer. But as early as the second lap, the 2024 world champion overtook ‘Diggia’, whilst the Gresini rider slid off the track under pressure from Martin.

Aprilia stellte mit Bezzecchi, Fernandez und Martin das GP-Podium

Foto: Gold and Goose

Just one lap later, Martin overtook his main World Championship rival. By the end of the race, the former Moto3 world champion had no reserves left, either physically or technically: “In the final laps, I had major problems with my tyres, but also with my physical condition. Nevertheless, I made it onto the podium, so I’m satisfied.

Topic of the week

A stuttering start to the Bahrain Grand Prix: the FIA narrowly avoids a fiasco like the one in Indianapolis in 2005

Fans could hardly believe their eyes at what they witnessed at the Bahrain Grand Prix: cars crawling along, racing cars that simply came to a standstill. The FIA narrowly avoided a fiasco like the one at Indy in 2005.

Read More

TV Program

Live

Phillip Island: International Stream

MotoGP World Championship

22.10.2026 - 23:55

Third place marks Jorge Martin’s third consecutive Grand Prix podium finish and, with Marc Marquez finishing sixth, restored the previous two-point gap to the Catalan. He made it clear that this narrow lead is significant for the Spaniard: “The battle continues, we’re still in the lead! It will remain difficult, but I’ll give it my all.”