Two points. That is the entire margin at the summit of the MotoGP World Championship after 16 Grands Prix, marking the closest-ever gap between the top two at this stage of a season. The fascinating title fight between Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing) and Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team), with Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) lurking close behind, now descends on the glorious setting of Lombok and the Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit for the Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia.
Leaving Austria, Martin and Aprilia held a 12-point cushion over reigning World Champion Marc Marquez. Now, that gap has been slashed to just two after Marquez delivered a massive 37-point haul in Japan by backing up his Tissot Sprint success with a Sunday win, marking his 78th premier-class victory. But the Ducati rider faces a monumental test in Indonesia. Mandalika has been unkind to the #93; he has never seen a Sunday chequered flag here and has twice left Lombok injured, including last year's collision with Bezzecchi.
That history puts the immediate pressure on Aprilia and Martin. The championship leader won here on a Ducati in 2024 and finished second the year before, making it a circuit he genuinely likes. However, the #89 missed last year's event after fracturing his right collarbone in Japan, introducing a lingering question mark for the 2024 champion. Pre-weekend odds might favor Martin, but betting against Marc Marquez is a fool's errand.
Meanwhile, Marco Bezzecchi remains a massive threat in the title picture. Having collected four consecutive P3 podium finishes in the last five Sundays and arriving at a track where he showed fierce speed last year, the Aprilia Racing rider sits just 49 points behind his teammate. Last year's Indonesian GP polesitter and Sprint winner is entirely capable of capitalizing on any mistakes up front.
Further down the grid, last year's dominant winner Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) returns alongside fellow 2025 podium finishers Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP), all looking to bounce back from difficult weekends in Japan. They are joined by Enea Bastianini (Red Bull KTM Tech3), whose late-race rhythm in Japan turned heads, and the Trackhouse MotoGP duo of Raul Fernandez and Ai Ogura.
For Pertamina Enduro VR46, home-backed teammates Fabio Di Giannantonio and Franco Morbidelli face a crucial weekend. Di Giannantonio is hunting a return to the top five after riding through pain in Japan following a Saturday incident with Alex Marquez. Over at Honda, rookie Diogo Moreira (Pro Honda LCR) aims to build on a debut Sprint medal claimed in HRC's backyard, while teammate Johann Zarco searches for a step forward. Luca Marini (Honda HRC Castrol) looks to continue his 100% Sunday points-scoring streak in 2026, while Joan Mir remains sidelined through illness and Somkiat Chantra contests WorldSBK in Portugal, paving the way for a welcome return to the saddle for Aleix Espargaro.
Yamaha's Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) squeezed every ounce of performance from his machine in Japan and returns to a venue where he finished seventh last year, while teammate Alex Rins previously starred near the front in 2025. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) continues his difficult hunt for form after going seven Grands Prix without a podium, finishing eighth on Sunday in Japan. Maverick Viñales (Red Bull KTM Tech3) aims for more progress after coming through his comeback weekend unscathed, and Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP's Jack Miller and Toprak Razgatlioglu will grind for points, with the Turkish rider returning to a venue where he claimed a WorldSBK triple win in 2022 and his 2021 title.
