Marc Marquez (Ducati): Can the champion shake off the ‘Indonesia curse’?

Following his one-two finish in Japan, Marc Marquez now faces a challenging race weekend in Indonesia. Why? The Mandalika International Circuit has been on the MotoGP calendar since 2022, and in the four events held there so far, MM93 has managed to score just eleven points. What’s more, the nine-time world champion has yet to finish a Sunday race at the circuit.

So Marc Marquez and the Indonesian circuit have not exactly become friends yet. A look back at the past illustrates this: at the first event in 2022, the Spaniard suffered a violent highsider in Turn 7 during the warm-up on Sunday morning. The crash had serious consequences – he was unable to take part in the race and also had to watch from the sidelines at the next Grand Prix in Argentina.

In 2023, he failed to finish either the Sprint or the Grand Prix – he crashed out in both races. A year later, things went better: Marquez finished third in the MotoGP Sprint, but in Sunday’s main race a technical fault forced him to retire early.

In 2025, Marc Marquez arrived in Indonesia as the newly crowned MotoGP World Champion – he had secured the title early in Japan. In the Sprint race, despite a long-lap penalty, he still managed sixth place; then came the shock on Sunday: The 33-year-old was taken out on the first lap of the Grand Prix by Aprilia rider Marco Bezzecchi – the crash ended not only his race, but also his season. His subsequent ordeal is well known.

Marquez: “On paper, Indonesia hasn’t exactly been my best track in the past”

This year, Marc Márquez is making another attempt to come to terms with the Mandalika International Circuit – or, at the very least, to finish a Sunday race there for the first time. “Of course, I’ve never finished a main race there; but I’ve also had a bit of bad luck. Last year in the sprint, I didn’t feel too bad after the long-lap penalty, so we’ll see,” he said, looking ahead. “We need to find out what we’re capable of, but I’m feeling better step by step, and since Aragon the feeling on the bike has been great. On paper, Indonesia hasn’t exactly been my best track in the past. The main aim is to reverse that trend and have a strong weekend.”

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09.10.2026 - 02:55

In the overall standings, Marc Marquez is just two points behind championship leader Jorge Martin (Aprilia) ahead of the Indonesian Grand Prix – the top two have never been this close together after 16 rounds of the season.