Raul Fernandez shatters Mandalika lap record to lead Bezzecchi and Martin in Indonesia

Trackhouse Aprilia rider Raul Fernandez topped the timesheets at the end of Friday Practice for the Indonesian Grand Prix, setting a new all-time lap record at the Mandalika International Street Circuit.

The Spaniard clocked a blistering 1:28.725 to shave 0.107 seconds off the previous benchmark set by Marco Bezzecchi in qualifying on Lombok island last year. Bezzecchi took second place, 0.219s adrift, becoming the only other rider alongside Fernandez to dip into the 1:28 bracket during the day.

MotoGP championship leader Jorge Martin completed the top three, 0.481s off the pace, followed closely by Pedro Acosta in fourth (+0.669s) and Marc Marquez in fifth (+0.701s). The top 10 securing direct passage into Qualifying 2 at the end of the 60-minute session also featured Fabio Di Giannantonio, Fabio Quartararo, Alex Marquez, Franco Morbidelli, and Francesco Bagnaia, who secured a direct Q2 spot for the first time since the Dutch TT in late June.

Alex Rins was the first rider to miss the cut, finishing just 0.090s behind the two-time world champion, and will have to fight through Q1. Joining the factory Yamaha rider in the first qualifying phase are Jack Miller, Ai Ogura, Luca Marini, Fermin Aldeguer, Toprak Razgatlioglu, Brad Binder, Johann Zarco, Diogo Moreira, Maverick Viñales, Enea Bastianini, and Aleix Espargaro.

Ogura was the biggest casualty of a late string of crashes that prevented him from putting together a clean lap under green flags. Moreira, Rins, Alex Marquez, and Bastianini—who suffered his second fall of the session—all went down in the frantic final minutes.

Last year's Indonesian winner Aldeguer and Quartararo also crashed, with the Frenchman enduring the scariest moment of the session. He lost control at high speed through the fast Turn 8 and barrel-rolled multiple times through the gravel trap. Despite appearing shaken immediately after the incident, the Yamaha rider returned to the track on his second bike to salvage a top-10 finish.

The Indonesian Grand Prix weekend, round 17 of the 2026 MotoGP season, resumes tomorrow at 05:10 Bulgarian time with the 30-minute Free Practice 2 session. Qualifying follows immediately at 05:50 to set the grid for both the Sprint and the Grand Prix at Mandalika.