The Indonesian GP is always a particular GP, because it is held on a track where there is almost never any activity, and the drivers and teams do not have as much on their hands as other circuits on the calendar. To that we must add some characteristics as a layout that allowed us to think, even before arriving at Mandalika, that Aprilia had everything to dominate there. And so it has been.
Only the touch between Bezzecchi and Fernández on Saturday has prevented talk of an overwhelming dominance of the Italians in Indonesia. A mistake, a race situation and a result that has nothing to do with the superiority that we have seen from the RS-GP from FP1 until the checkered flag fell on Sunday. What’s more, even with the fall of Bezzecchi and Fernández, Jorge Martín had the victory in his hands, until he had to slow down to let Marc pass and get pressure in the front tire.
That is to say, for two reasons unrelated to the competitiveness of the bike we did not see an Aprilia win on Saturday and, despite everything, Ai Ogura was close to being able to throw the bike to Marc and crossed the finish line second, five tenths behind the Ducati rider while Martín, with all the problems, was on the verge of crashing but saved the situation with a fourth place.
Sunday in Indonesia made it clear that Marc is alone in the face of danger, and that Aprilia has a “super team”
If on Saturday, due to circumstances, we had a podium with Marc Márquez at the top and with Di Giannantonio third, on Sunday things had to go a lot wrong for an Aprilia not to finish at the top. It’s one thing to make a mistake and have your two teammates end up on the ground, something that can happen. But two mistakes for the same GP would not be reasonable or tolerable and that is why it did not happen.
It was then that we could see what Bezzecchi and Fernández, who were the strongest, were capable of. And of the two, especially Marco who was recovering his sensations while, despite having fractures in two fingers of his hand, Fernández was so competitive that he was able to hold on and, not only that, finish second.
A 1-2 is not such a spectacular result either, but a 1-2-3-4 is already starting to sound different, especially when there are only four motorcycles from the brand on the track. That is what Aprilia did in Indonesia and, the best of all for them and the worst for Ducati, is that the best of the Borgo Panigale bikes was that of Marc Márquez in sixth position, already more than 10.7 seconds behind the winner.
This situation once again highlights that the Aprilia RS-GP is tremendously effective in general terms, but tremendously dominant on the tracks where everything fits together perfectly. It also makes it clear that Marc is alone in the face of danger, that either he can manage alone against the four Aprilia riders or he will have nothing to do, because the rest of the Ducati riders are not being able to get the same performance from the bike that the Spaniard achieves.
After the Indonesian GP nothing has changed in the general classification, because Martín leads with two points ahead of Marc, exactly the same difference as there was after Japan. Thus the result of both has neutralized the fight, but with one less GP involved. The next stop is Australia and although Márquez has won there four times, Martín, Bezzecchi and Fernández have been very fast in recent years.
The difference is that Phillip Island is more unpredictable and relentless than Mandalika or other tracks on the calendar, but the feeling is that Marc will be alone in danger there and the rest of the season, and that is an advantage that if Aprilia plays well can help them take the title. But be careful, having several roosters within the same henhouse can also have the opposite effect and we are talking about Martín and Márquez, but Bezzecchi is 46 points behind Martín, he has won 5 GPs compared to Martín’s 1 (Martín has 6), he is Italian like Aprilia and will continue with them next year.
So, in reality, more than five GPs we have five games left in a game – if Qatar does not end up cancelled – in which we have to be fast, intelligent, have a little luck and the best possible material. Who will be crowned in Valencia? We only have a month and a half left to find out, but right now getting it right is pure chance.
And while Marc fights, his disciple triumphs: Máximo Quiles is already champion
Of course, in order not to put an end to that taste in the mouth and with the feeling of Marc Márquez against everything and everyone (including the organization to which he keeps making small insults), his “pupil” Máximo Quiles already has the Moto3 title under his arm after a brutal season.
The Aspar Team driver has won 10 of the 17 GPs contested and has been on the podium on another five occasions, securing the championship with 5 GPs remaining. Maybe that extra energy from taking the end of the year photo together will give Marc a few decimitas in the next GPs.
