Gresini rookie Fermin Aldeguer claimed his maiden MotoGP victory in the Indonesian Grand Prix after polesitter Marco Bezzecchi took out Marc Marquez on the opening lap.
Having been the only Ducati rider to run anywhere near the front over the weekend, Aldeguer capitalised on a slow start for polesitter Bezzecchi and then passed early race leader Pedro Acosta to become the second youngest race winner in MotoGP history.
Acosta fought on to claim second, while Alex Marquez completed the podium on a weekend Gresini had a clear edge over other Ducati teams.
Bezzecchi had been the outright favourite for victory on Sunday after dominating both qualifying and the sprint race on Saturday, but got bogged down at the start – in the second phase of the launch – and dropped to seventh.
This allowed Acosta to grab the holeshot from fifth on the grid, with Luca Marini and Aldeguer following him behind in second and third respectively.
The defining moment of the race came just a few corners later as Bezzecchi misjudged his braking into Turn 7 and slammed into the back of Marquez, sending them both barreling down the gravel.
Marquez was seen holding his shoulder after the crash, having narrowly avoided Bezzecchi’s out-of-control Aprilia in the gravel trap. He was taken to the medical centre for check-ups, where it was revealed that he had a fracture.
With two lead contenders out, Acosta cemented his advantage up front from Marini, who came increasingly under pressure from the Gresini Ducati of Aldeguer.
On lap 2, Aldeguer made his first move on Marini, but the Honda rider held firm to maintain the status quo. The Spaniard, however, continued to pile on the pressure, and finally completed the move up the inside into Turn 16 .
This set up a two-horse race between Aldeguer and Acosta, who had built a small advantage in the opening laps on the factory KTM.
Pedro Acosta, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
But Aldeguer could close in on Acosta by the end of lap 5, and made the decisive pass for the lead at Turn 10 two laps later.
Acosta retaliated at Turn 1 at the start of lap 8 but ran too wide, allowing Aldeguer to hold on to the lead.
Over the next few laps, the Gresini rookie built a one-second lead on his GP24 Ducati over Acosta, who was left to fend off the factory Honda of Marini.
The two engaged in an epic tussle for second position, with Trackhouse rider Raul Fernandez also joining their battle on the sole remaining Aprilia.
As Acosta fought off another attack Marini couldn’t make stick on lap 14, Fernandez divebombed Marini, sending both of them wide and allowing Alex Rins to pass both of them and grab the final spot on the podium.
Alex Marquez also moved through to grab fourth place ahead of Fernandez, while Marini dropped further back to eighth behind Fabio Quartararo and Brad Binder after losing momentum onto the start/finish straight.
The fight for the final two podium positions intensified in the final part of the race, with the younger Marquez passing Acosta for third and then setting off after Rins.
Rins, whose second position initially seemed secure, dropped behind Marquez on the run down to Turn 1 and then ran wide with five laps to go, slipping to the lower reaches of the top 10.
Meanwhile, Acosta fought back to claim second from Marquez with three laps to go, with KTM teammate Binder bouncing back from a tough qualifying to finish a season-best fourth.
Marini eventually finished the race in fifth from Fernandez, while Fabio Quartararo was once again the highest-placed Yamaha rider in seventh as Rins dropped to 10th.
The two Yamahas were separated by VR46 duo of Franco Morbidelli and Fabio di Giannantonio.
Two-time MotoGP champion Francesco Bagnaia crashed out of the race at the final corner on lap 7, marking a double retirement for the factory Ducati team.
Indonesian GP – Race results:
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– The Autosport.com Team
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