The first-corner crash

Polesitter Raúl Fernández, who took his first career pole position on Saturday, and Marco Bezzecchi both crashed out at the first corner of the Indonesian sprint at Mandalika. Marc Márquez started fourth, between Bezzecchi and Fabio Di Giannantonio, and his acceleration into the first braking zone pushed Di Giannantonio into contact with his Ducati. Bezzecchi then widened his line and collided with Fernández, and both riders retired. Márquez described the sequence to Sky Sports Italia: "The problem was that four bikes went into the corner side by side." Fernández suffered a finger fracture that was confirmed after the incident, and he was declared fit for Sunday.

Martín's lead and Márquez's pass

Jorge Martín took the lead after the chaotic start and built a gap of more than a second over Márquez. A tyre pressure problem five laps from the end forced him to ease off, and Márquez passed him. Martín later ran wide two laps from the finish and dropped to fourth. Ai Ogura finished second, 0.509 seconds behind Márquez, while Di Giannantonio was third, 0.835 seconds back. AFP reported that the win was Márquez's eighth sprint victory this season and his 23rd in his career.

Márquez said after the race that it had been a difficult contest from the start.

“That was a very difficult race from the start: I was trying not to let Martin go but it was complicated. Then I think he had a problem with tyre pressure or something else and I was able to pass.”

Blame for the crash

Davide Brivio, team director of Trackhouse MotoGP, placed responsibility for the incident on both Márquez and Martín. He said that from the first images the two riders appeared to be aggressive at the first corner, and that they wanted to gain as many positions as possible.

“From the first images, it seems that Jorge and Marc were extremely aggressive at the first corner. They wanted to gain as many positions as possible.”

Fernández, speaking to the Spanish edition of Motorsport.com, criticised Bezzecchi's approach to the corner.

“The worst part is the frustration of knowing that Marco did something he should not have done. You can fall and get up, that is how it is.”

Adnkronos described Márquez's manoeuvre as regular but at the limit, and SAPO reported that no stewards' investigation had been announced after the incident.

Heat and aftermath

Fanpage reported that the asphalt was about 60 degrees, while La Vanguardia put it at 61 degrees. After the podium, Márquez told DAZN that standing on the podium in his race suit was "inhuman" in such heat. He then told As that he had suffered a collapse after the race, saying "Maybe hypoglycemia or something else". He left the podium area for the offices to change and cool down, and he said this was why he felt fresher afterwards. La Vanguardia reported that Márquez had also received a warning for running off the track during the sprint.

Sunday race and the title picture

The main race is on Sunday, with 25 points at stake for the winner, and it starts at 08:00 in Lisbon time. Márquez now leads the standings with 343 points, four more than Martín. Bezzecchi is 59 points behind the new leader, and AFP reported that he had probably said goodbye to his last title hopes. Bezzecchi has now retired from six sprints this season, according to SAPO.