Márquez wins Mandalika sprint and takes championship lead

Marc Márquez won the Indonesian Grand Prix sprint at Mandalika on Saturday, taking the championship lead from Jorge Martín after the Spaniard dropped from first to fourth in the closing laps. Márquez’s victory put him four points ahead of Martín in the standings. Martín had led much of the race after moving to the front at the opening corner. With five laps remaining, he yielded the lead to Márquez. Reports described a possible tyre-pressure warning or issue, but did not establish that as the reason he slowed. Martín later challenged again, then ran wide late in the race and lost places to Ai Ogura and Fabio Di Giannantonio. Ogura finished second, 0.509 seconds behind Márquez, while Di Giannantonio was third, 0.835 seconds back. Martín finished fourth, 1.947 seconds behind the winner. Márquez, riding for Ducati, secured his first win at Mandalika, according to race coverage, and moved to the top of the championship for the first time this season. The sprint was disrupted at the first corner when Aprilia riders Raúl Fernández and Marco Bezzecchi made contact and crashed out. Fernández had started from pole, with Bezzecchi alongside him on the front row.