Raul Fernandez's Maiden Pole at Mandalika Hinges on Broken Finger
Baca dalam 60 detik
- Raul Fernandez merebut pole position pertamanya di MotoGP, tetapi cedera jari membuat keikutsertaannya di race Minggu belum pasti.
- Marc Marquez kini memimpin klasemen setelah kemenangan mengejutkan di sprint, sementara Jorge Martin tertinggal di posisi kelima.
- Dominasi Ducati terlihat dengan empat pembalap di enam besar, sementara Honda diprediksi kesulitan di Sirkuit Mandalika.
Raul Fernandez will start the Indonesian MotoGP from the front after setting his first pole position in Saturday's qualifying session. However, the Trackhouse rider must still pass a fitness check following a broken finger sustained in an incident with Marco Bezzecchi during the sprint. A decision on whether he races will only be made after Sunday morning's warm-up session.
If he is able to race, Fernandez will be joined by Bezzecchi and Fabio di Giannantonio of VR46 Ducati on the front row. For Di Giannantonio, this is his best starting position since the German GP. Meanwhile, Marc Marquez, who now leads the standings after a dramatic sprint win, will start the race from fourth, right ahead of his main rival, Jorge Martin of Aprilia.
The second row will be filled by Fermin Aldeguer, who is still recovering from a leg injury. As for Ai Ogura, who admitted to being the slowest Aprilia rider this weekend, he will start from seventh, followed by Alex Marquez (Gresini) and Pedro Acosta (KTM). The top ten is completed by Francesco Bagnaia of Ducati.
For the Japanese factory teams, especially Honda, the race at Mandalika is expected to be tough. All four of its riders have struggled to find performance since free practice. Meanwhile, Yamaha placed Fabio Quartararo as its best rider in twelfth.
"I will try to go out in warm-up to see if I can ride the bike comfortably. The decision will be made after that," Fernandez said, as quoted by Motorsport.com.
The title fight this season is heating up. Marquez's sprint win was a heavy blow for Martin, who had been favored beforehand. Now, attention turns to whether Fernandez can overcome the pain and still race, or instead hand an advantage to his rivals. The main race will be held Sunday afternoon at the Mandalika Circuit.
