As Motorsport.com reports, the gravel traps at Mandalika have sparked fresh alarm after Fabio Quartararo took a nasty tumble during Friday practice for the Indonesian Grand Prix. It is a grim echo of the heavy criticism leveled at the venue's run-off areas a year ago.
Quartararo lost control of his Yamaha halfway through the session. His smooth asphalt slide turned violent the moment his body hit the gravel, pitching him straight into the air.
Thankfully, nothing was broken, but the Frenchman made the Qualifying 2 cut while nursing muscle issues in his thumb alongside neck and shoulder pain. He sat in his media briefing holding an ice pack to his wrist. "The crash was fast but was not a big one, but just entering to the gravel was the worst part," Quartararo said. "Luckily nothing is broken, just some muscle things in the thumb, so we could go back to the bike. But tomorrow I will wake up a bit sore."
The Yamaha rider pointed the finger directly at the dangerous step between the asphalt and the gravel, particularly at Turn 9 where he went down. He argued that the gravel sits noticeably higher than the tarmac, creating a violent launchpad when a rider arrives at speed. "So they have to do something in this area," he concluded, also making passing reference to the 2025 Marquez crash.
Tech3 KTM's Enea Bastianini also fell victim to the treacherous step effect late in the session, though he managed to escape without injury.
Marc Marquez, who sat right at the center of last year's paddock storm over the same issue, weighed in during his own Friday media session. "We always complain," Marquez said. "It's true that it's not good for the safety of the riders. It's not good even for the bikes. Because they are always trying to [save] the budget. But the best way to save budget is to try to save the riders and the bikes from this kind of crash."
Both Marc and his brother Alex chose to keep their powder relatively dry this time around, leaving the responsibility squarely on the organizers. Alex noted that it is a job for MGPSEG and that riders cannot check every single corner themselves. Hopefully, they improved from the experience last year.
