The Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit witnessed a blistering display of speed on Friday as Raul Fernandez smashed the all‑time lap record to lead an Aprilia one‑two‑three, while crashes and late drama reshuffled the order across all three classes. Here’s the full story from a day when the title picture began to take shape — and not always in the way we expected.
MotoGP: Fernandez Sensationally Fast — Aprilias Dominate
Early Spills — Aldeguer and Quartararo Down
The session got off to a shaky start with two big falls in the opening half. Fermin Aldeguer lost control at the final corner while on a flying lap, and moments later Fabio Quartararo crashed hard at Turn 9. Both riders walked away unhurt and were straight back out in the second half — Quartararo in particular recovering well to sit safely inside the top ten and secure his place in Q2.
Fernandez Takes Charge — New Record Set
As the session heated up, it was Raul Fernandez who moved to the front. The Trackhouse rider first posted a 1’29.252 to lead, then slashed that to a stunning 1’28.725 — wiping more than two tenths off the existing circuit best and establishing a benchmark nobody could touch.
Behind him, the Aprilias swarmed forward. Marco Bezzecchi settled into second, just 0.219s adrift, while championship leader Jorge Martin moved into third in the closing moments to complete a historic one‑two‑three — the first time any manufacturer has locked out the top three in practice at Mandalika. Pedro Acosta was a steady fourth, ahead of Marc Marquez who edged up to fifth, and Fabio Di Giannantonio in sixth.
Late Chaos — Multiple Riders Crash Out
The final ten minutes were frantic. Enea Bastianini fell at Turn 9 — almost identical to Quartararo’s earlier spill — and dropped to 17th, facing a Q1 shootout. Diogo Moreira crashed heavily at Turn 11 and was out for the day, joining Bastianini in the drop zone. Alex Marquez went down at Turn 16, and Alex Rins lost the bike at the final corner — both men slipping down the order and missing the automatic Q2 spots. Bastianini then crashed for a second time to cap a miserable afternoon.
Top 10
| 1 | Raul Fernandez | SuperFile Trackhouse | — | 1’28.725 lap record |
| 2 | Marco Bezzecchi | Aprilia Racing | +0.219s | Only other 1:28s lap |
| 3 | Jorge Martin | Aprilia Racing | +0.276s | Late charge |
| 4 | Pedro Acosta | Red Bull KTM Factory | +0.491s | Quietly consistent |
| 5 | Marc Marquez | Ducati Lenovo | +0.512s | Up from P7 early |
| 6 | Fabio Di Giannantonio | VR46 | +0.688s | Solid top six |
| 7 | Fabio Quartararo | Yamaha | +0.743s | Crashed early, recovered |
| 8 | Alex Marquez | Gresini | +0.801s | Late fall |
| 9 | Franco Morbidelli | VR46 | +0.872s | Big improvement final laps |
| 10 | Francesco Bagnaia | Ducati Lenovo | +0.904s | Just makes Q2 |
Q1 Bound: Alex Rins (-0.090s cut), Jack Miller (-0.097s), Ai Ogura, Luca Marini, Fermin Aldeguer, Toprak Razgatlioglu, Diogo Moreira, Enea Bastianini.
Reactions
Raul Fernandez — P1:
“The bike felt perfect straight away. I knew I had the pace — that lap just came together. To be top here at Mandalika is incredible, and to set the record is a bonus. We’ll see what tomorrow brings.”
Marco Bezzecchi — P2:
“Raul is on another planet right now! But it’s great to see Aprilia so strong across the board. We have three riders in the top three — that shows how good the package is. My lap was good, but his was something else.”
Marc Marquez — P5:
“The Aprilias are very fast here — especially through the middle sector. That’s where we need to find time. We are close, but close might not be enough. We will keep pushing.”
Moto2: Guevara Smashes Lap Record — Gonzalez Fourth Amid Delays
Izan Guevara laid down a serious marker in Moto2, setting a new all‑time lap record of 1’32.337 to finish 0.231s clear of the field. The session was twice red‑flagged — first when Manuel Gonzalez lost his visor on the opening lap, then again due to technical connectivity issues — but Guevara was untroubled, converting his recent winning form into dominant practice pace.
Alex Escrig was second fastest, ahead of Daniel Holgado who encountered a late technical problem but held on for third. Championship leader Gonzalez recovered to fourth, 0.259s behind his title rival, with Senna Agius completing the top five. Alonso Lopez and Filip Salač — both race winners this season — were sixth and seventh respectively, while Ayumu Sasaki crashed at Turn 11 but still secured eighth and a direct Q2 spot.
Moto2 Top 5
| 1 | Izan Guevara | BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha | — (1’32.337 lap record) |
| 2 | Alex Escrig | KLINT Racing | +0.231s |
| 3 | Daniel Holgado | CFMOTO Aspar | +0.248s |
| 4 | Manuel Gonzalez | Intact GP | +0.259s |
| 5 | Senna Agius | Intact GP | +0.412s |
Moto3: Almansa Edges Quiles — Title Decider Tightens
David Almansa kept his title hopes alive with a blistering opening day, lapping at 1’37.169 to edge out championship leader Maximo Quiles by just 0.088s. The pair were inseparable on track, with Quiles forcing Almansa wide at Turn 16 in one telling exchange — a preview of what promises to be a fight to the finish this weekend.
Matteo Bertelle took third ahead of Alvaro Carpe, while Adrian Fernandez and home favourite Ryusei Yamanaka completed the top six. Several big names missed the Q2 cut and face Saturday morning elimination rounds: David Muñoz out by just 0.009s, Marco Morelli, Scott Ogden, Hakim Danish and Valentin Perrone all in Q1. Joel Kelso and Eddie O’Shea both crashed at Turn 10 and will also have to fight their way through the opening shootout.
Moto3 Top 5
| 1 | David Almansa | Intact GP | — | Fastest of weekend |
| 2 | Maximo Quiles | CFMOTO Aspar | +0.088s | Match point weekend |
| 3 | Matteo Bertelle | LEVEL UP – MTA | +0.342s | |
| 4 | Alvaro Carpe | Red Bull KTM Ajo | +0.415s | |
| 5 | Adrian Fernandez | Leopard Racing | +0.527s |
What’s Next
Qualifying takes centre stage on Saturday — Sprint and GP grids begin to take shape. Can anyone stop the Aprilia charge? Will Marquez find the missing tenths? And can Quiles finally seal the crown? Don’t miss a moment.
