One other complicated weekend from the 2024 MotoGP title rivals in Indonesia, numerous riders within the gravel and a rookie sensation again to his tempo.
That equals loads for Simon Patterson to mull over as he ranks the whole subject’s performances at Mandalika from finest to worst.
1 Pecco Bagnaia
Began: 4th Dash: 1st Completed: third
It’s possibly time to just accept that, based mostly on the proof that we now have, that Pecco Bagnaia merely isn’t superb across the Mandalika circuit.
He’s by no means fairly clicked with the Indonesian observe – so to efficiently run a weekend of injury limitation the place he diminished the deficit to Jorge Martin within the championship battle signifies that it’s a case of a job properly finished.
Certain, he didn’t win on Sunday, however a grand prix podium mixed with a dash win didn’t look significantly doubtless on Friday night when he’d struggled in observe – and the bounce again was spectacular.
2 Pedro Acosta
Began: third Dash: sixth Completed: 2nd
Mandalika felt like one thing of a coming-of-age story for Pedro Acosta. He is already been in a position to run the tempo to struggle for podiums regardless of nonetheless being in his rookie season, nevertheless it had felt like there was at all times a component lacking in his racecraft.
There was none of that on Sunday although, with the 20-year-old doing a stellar job of taking his tyres to the road and managing the hole to each his goal in entrance and his hunters behind.
3 Jorge Martin
Began: 1st Dash: tenth Completed: 1st
A fully dominant victory on Sunday and the utmost 25 factors needs to be tempered considerably by the truth that Jorge Martin as soon as once more failed to attain at Mandalika on a day he’d led from a dominant pole.
His dash crash, a repeat efficiency of 12 months in the past, felt like a very pointless mistake, and it very a lot dented what ought to have been a flawless weekend.
4 Marco Bezzecchi
Began: 2nd Dash: 4th Completed: fifth
The kind of actually stable weekend that Marco Bezzecchi wants proper now. His respectable tempo, respectable outcomes and good qualifying exhibits that he’s lastly beginning to unlock the puzzle of Michelin’s new rear tyre.
He is not the one year-old Ducati rider who has been scuffling with it, and up to date outcomes are beginning to construct up a pattern of consistency that ought to preserve constructing as we head deeper into MotoGP’s Asian leg the place he at all times performs properly.
5 Franco Morbidelli
Began: ninth Dash: fifth Completed: 4th
Extra consistency and one other regular weekend for Franco Morbidelli as he continues closing down on the opposite Ducati GP24 riders.
He didn’t have the tempo for the rostrum struggle on Sunday, however did a stellar job of defensive driving to be sure that he a minimum of clung onto the hope of third for so long as doable regardless of being on a much less sturdy tyre than most of his opposition, and did so with out errors.
It’s all coming collectively for him – possibly a bit of too late for 2024 nevertheless it’s omen for 2025.
6 Marc Marquez
Began: twelfth Dash: third Completed: DNF
A irritating weekend for Marc Marquez. He was fortunate to take a podium in Saturday’s dash race when Martin crashed out, by no means fairly having the tempo of the GP24 Ducatis all weekend – and he obtained completely slowed down within the early phases of Sunday’s race tangling with fellow GP23 racer Fabio di Giannantonio.
That battle value him the possibility to be nearer to the leaders – though in the end that was all in useless anyway when his bike quite dramatically exploded and caught fireplace beneath him.
7 Johann Zarco
Began: seventh Dash: eighth Completed: ninth
Johann Zarco has, quite surprisingly, been Honda’s main gentle in current weeks, and this race was no completely different because the Frenchman continued to be the one Honda rider in a position to stroll the tightrope between asking for an excessive amount of and never taking sufficient from the RC213V.
Admitting that he rolled off just a bit within the closing laps quite than threat dropping out on a high 10 end result to a foolish mistake and difficult circumstances, it’s nonetheless a wonderful marker of each Zarco’s expertise and Honda’s tentative progress.
8 Fabio Quartararo
Began: sixth Dash: twelfth Completed: seventh
It’s in all probability signal for Yamaha that Fabio Quartararo was nonetheless deeply sad together with his weekend at Mandalika as a result of on paper it was a really stable outing for the 2021 world champion.
After lastly discovering his mojo once more in qualifying, one thing that’s been maybe much more missing than his race tempo, Quartararo’s dash was disappointing however he did a stable job on Sunday.
Issues are trying higher, finally, and Yamaha was in a position to affirm that at a really completely different circuit from Misano. One, possibly, for Quartararo to understand extra with hindsight.
9 Maverick Vinales
Began: tenth Dash: seventh Completed: sixth
Maverick Vinales was delighted together with his tempo post-race after setting race-winning laptimes in the course of it, however that was largely irrelevant to his general weekend when he nonetheless ended up a good distance away from the rostrum battle.
His ordinary quick however inconsistent efficiency was made to look a bit of higher than it ought to have because of the chaos occurring round him.
10 Augusto Fernandez
Began: twenty first Dash: DNF Completed: DNF
It’s a disgrace that we didn’t get to see extra of Augusto Fernandez’s potential in the principle race earlier than a fluke mechanical situation left him watching from the sidelines.
The Tech3 racer thinks that he really achieved one thing of a breakthrough over the course of the weekend at Mandalika – and it might, sadly, be some time earlier than he will get an opportunity to shine as a lot as he might have had he made it to the tip of one in all his closing races within the premier class (for now).
11 Taka Nakagami
Began: 18th Dash: seventeenth Completed: twelfth
Unlucky to have been despatched to the again of the outcomes sheet by a tyre stress penalty, Taka Nakagami’s weekend was higher than it’ll be remembered within the historical past books regardless of the pretty vital problem of leaping onto Honda’s new aero bundle on solely Saturday morning.
The end result was numerous short-term ache as he tailored to it, however a minimum of it means he now has that have forward of his residence race at Motegi subsequent time.
12 Raul Fernandez
Began: eleventh Dash: nineteenth Completed: tenth
An OK weekend for Raul Fernandez, however solely OK.
He went into the weekend anticipating to be nearer to the entrance given Aprilia’s previous type at Mandalika, however the finish end result was quite extra subdued, with the one actual constructive from it for him being that he wasn’t too far-off from the manufacturing facility bikes of Vinales and Aleix Espargaro.
13 Luca Marini
Began: seventeenth Dash: 18th Completed: DNF
It’s a disgrace that we didn’t get to see extra of what Luca Marini might have been able to on Sunday, provided that the Honda lastly appears to be on the rise and that the race that performed out is the kind that he’s superb at managing.
Nevertheless, as he was one of many victims of Jack Miller’s crash on the opening lap, it’s as a substitute a case of what might have been for the Italian.
A minimum of there’s an necessary likelihood to proceed the great work at Honda’s residence circuit this coming weekend.
14 Fabio Di Giannantonio
Began: eighth Dash: ninth Completed: DNF
Given the bodily situation that he’s nonetheless in as he debates whether or not to go beneath the knife to restore his dislocating shoulder, the early tempo that di Giannantonio confirmed at Mandalika was considerably promising.
Nevertheless, it was all for nought ultimately when a mistake from the Italian meant that he ended the race within the gravel as a substitute of inside the highest eight, as he ought to have.
15 Alex Marquez
Began: 14th Dash: 14th Completed: DNF
A weekend to overlook for Alex Marquez, who appeared to spend extra of it within the gravel traps at Mandalika than he did on the circuit.
Battered and bruised afterwards, the perfect factor that may be stated is that a minimum of Sunday’s fall wasn’t his fault as he was one in all Miller’s victims.
He shall be hoping for (and, given the character of the circuit, ought to count on) extra at Motegi this coming weekend.
16 Aleix Espargaro
Began: thirteenth Dash: sixteenth Completed: DNF
On condition that he was worn out of Sunday’s race on the opening lap, it’s onerous to learn an excessive amount of into Espargaro’s performances at Mandalika.
Nevertheless, a disappointing dash and a quite lacklustre qualifying meant that there wasn’t actually a lot to put in writing residence about even earlier than he was collected by Miller’s KTM.
He’ll be doubly irritating given excessive expectations coming into the weekend, nevertheless it’s additionally maybe an indication of the state of the Aprilia proper now.
17 Brad Binder
Began: nineteenth Dash: thirteenth Completed: eighth
A weekend to overlook for Brad Binder that each one stemmed from failing to make the Q2 minimize on Friday.
Technical points in qualifying then stranded him manner down the grid, and from there on it was only a case of doing what he might.
However, with KTM’s rookie sensation Acosta very a lot on the sharp finish of the race, it’s maybe one other signal of the growing stress Binder goes to search out himself beneath subsequent season.
18 Alex Rins
Began: fifteenth Dash: fifteenth Completed: eleventh
Fairly the disappointing weekend for Alex Rins, all issues thought of.
It regarded like there was extra potential from the Yamaha, and whereas his team-mate Quartararo may additionally have been left pissed off together with his outcomes, Rins’ have been considerably worse.
It’s onerous to elucidate away ending final (on the street, a minimum of) in a race the place solely 12 noticed the end line and once you’re driving a motorcycle that’s no doubt higher than it was a number of races in the past.
19 Enea Bastianini
Began: fifth Dash: 2nd Completed: DNF
Errors from Enea Bastianini are a fairly uncommon factor; you must go all the way in which again to the final race of 2023 to search out his earlier one in a Sunday race.
The one he made on this weekend’s race properly highlighted that it’s not simply Bagnaia and Martin able to pushing too onerous and making errors with the GP24’s quite delicate entrance tyre, although – and whereas it might need ended no matter title hopes he had, it shouldn’t be too onerous for him to persuade himself that it was a straightforward factor to do.
20 Joan Mir
Began: twentieth Dash: DNF Completed: DNF
An sadly regular weekend for Joan Mir the place we noticed the Repsol Honda rider pushing past the bounds of a motorcycle that, whereas bettering quickly, remains to be removed from being the title-winning bundle that he had at Suzuki.
He must discover a little bit of self-restraint if he desires to see the tip of extra races – and may significantly think about it proper now as a result of fellow Honda rider Zarco is making him look a bit of dangerous by highlighting the potential of the bike.
21 Jack Miller
Began: sixteenth Dash: eleventh Completed: DNF
You may’t actually count on to be ranked anyplace else however on the backside once you take out three rivals on the opening lap.
Miller’s transfer, whereas not fairly deserving of a sanction, was nonetheless a bit of reckless, and it’s a disgrace that others additionally paid a worth for it.
Sadly for the Australian, it was additionally the fruits of what was general a really mediocre weekend for him, with little in the way in which of tempo.