Marco Bezzecchi lit up a sweltering Mandalika to end Friday practice fastest of all, throwing down a commanding lap in FP2 that left the rest of the field chasing shadows. His final time put him 0.4s clear of Fermín Aldeguer, with Pedro Acosta rounding out the top three.
Bezzecchi in Control, Marquez and Bagnaia to Q1
Bezzecchi had already impressed in the morning session on used tires, showing strong race pace. Come FP2, he repeated the performance on fresh softs and stamped his authority on the day.
Behind him, Aldeguer continued to underline his top tier potential, while Acosta kept KTM in the hunt with a well timed late push. FP1 pacesetter Luca Marini remained competitive in fourth, ahead of Raul Fernandez and Joan Mir, both finding their rhythm late in the session.
Fabio Quartararo surged into the top ten on his final lap, with his effort proving pivotal, as it was the one that knocked newly crowned world champion Marc Márquez into P11 and forced him into Q1 for the first time this season.
Marquez wasn’t alone. Pecco Bagnaia will also have to go through Q1 after a messy end to his day, his GP24 seemingly out of sync with the conditions after last weekend’s highs at Motegi.
A Session to Forget for Ducati’s Top Men
Marc Márquez endured his roughest session of the season, crashing twice, with his second a fast highside at Turn 10. He was dead last with 20 minutes to go before mounting a minor recovery, but it wasn’t enough to break back into the top ten.
Bagnaia, meanwhile, couldn’t piece together a clean lap when it counted. Sitting 17th as time attacks began, he was further compromised by a wave of yellow flags following a string of crashes: Alex Márquez at Turn 12, Enea Bastianini at Turn 3, and Johann Zarco at Turn 8.
All three riders were up and okay, but the disruptions came at the worst possible time for Bagnaia, who now faces a Q1 showdown alongside Márquez.
Top Ten Shakeup: Only Two Ducatis Make It
With the Ducati duo out of the picture, the rest of the top ten has a fresh look. Friday at Mandalika has delivered a reshuffled pecking order heading into qualifying.