Bastianini Edges Out Martin in Thrilling Friday Practice at 2024 Indonesian MotoGP

Results from Friday's Practice Session at the 2024 Indonesian MotoGP, Mandalika

Practice session outcomes from Mandalika's Indonesian MotoGP, marking the 15th round (out of 20) in the 2024 global championship.

MotoGP Practice Outcomes from Mandalika, Indonesia, for the 202

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Authoritative Records for Mandalika MotoGP:

Fastest round: Luca Marini clocked in at 1 minute and 29.978 seconds (2023)

Quickest lap record: Enea Bastianini clocked at 1 minute and 30.906 seconds (2023)

Enea Bastianini outperformed Jorge Martin once again, topping the Friday practice sessions for the 2024 Indonesian MotoGP at Mandalika, marking their second such encounter within a week.

Dominating with the medium rear tire, championship frontrunner Martin surged ahead by 0.647 seconds, setting a new lap record on his initial attempt using the soft tire.

However, Bastianini, who surpassed Martin (with a slight push) in the final lap to clinch victory at the Emilia Romagna MotoGP, narrowly edged past the Pramac competitor by a mere 0.040 seconds.

Martin's teammate at Pramac Ducati, Franco Morbidelli, who led in the morning, finished among the top three, with a tight margin of only 0.079 seconds separating them.

Defending champion Francesco Bagnaia found himself in a disappointing 17th place, clearly unhappy while riding on worn hard front and medium rear tyres, until he decided to switch to new tyres. This change, however, only improved his position to ninth, leaving the atmosphere in the Ducati team's garage strained.

As the Marquez siblings lined up behind Bagnaia for their last attempt, Bagnaia slowed down, allowing them to overtake. However, realizing Bagnaia couldn't risk abandoning the attempt, they opted to wait for him on the circuit instead.

Marc let his opportunity slip away, while Alex managed to hitch a ride but ended up wiping out at the lap's conclusion. On the other hand, Bagnaia made his way back to ninth before delivering an impressive lap to secure a comfortable fourth place, much to the delight and relief of the Ducati team.

After running out of fuel, Bagnaia received assistance from Marc Marquez, his future team-mate, to return to the pits.

Morbidelli resumed his strong performance at the beginning of the afternoon session, with riders transitioning from the medium rear tire they used in the morning to a softer option.

Marc Marquez executed a dramatic (65-degree) save using his knee and elbow at Turn 10, reminiscent of his performances during his Honda days, before moving into the lead just before the halfway point.

Fabio Quartararo experienced a moment of alarm, while Pedro Acosta had an early mishap, sliding off his GASGAS, only to recover and surpass Marquez, claiming the P1 spot.

Fabio di Giannantonio, who is still considering undergoing shoulder surgery, stood out alongside Morbidelli, Misano 2 champion Enea Bastianini, and Martin, as they appeared to be the fastest when using the medium tires, despite di Giannantonio riding on a previously worn soft rear.

Yamaha's Quartararo was set to surprise the frontrunners by posting the quickest time during his initial time trial, but then his M1 experienced another wobble.

Despite being deprived of a season-high fifth position due to fuel depletion the previous Sunday, the French rider managed to secure his objective of advancing directly to Qualifying 2 by finishing in sixth place, right after VR46's Marco Bezzecchi.

Marc Marquez, alongside Acosta, di Giannantonio (who experienced a fall), and Maverick Vinales from Aprilia, rounded out the top ten.

Johann Zarco from LCR Honda narrowly missed securing an immediate spot in Q2, closely followed by Repsol's Luca Marini. Both Alex Rins and Brad Binder were not far off, within 0.6 seconds of Bastianini.

Aleix Espargaro, who was in 19th place earlier today, experienced a front-end crash and went down at Turn 16, occurring twice.

Miguel Oliveira missed this afternoon's session due to a broken right wrist incurred from a highside crash earlier in the day.

The rider from Trackhouse was transported to a nearby hospital for additional evaluations to decide whether an operation is necessary.

2024 MotoGP in Indonesia, Mandalika – Results from the First Free Practice Session

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Mandalika MotoGP Official Records:

Fastest round: Luca Marini clocked at 1 minute and 29.978 seconds (2023)

Quickest lap time in the race: Enea Bastianini clocked in at 1 minute and 30.906 seconds (2023).

Franco Morbidelli takes the lead in the first practice session of the 2024 Indonesian MotoGP at Mandalika.

The rider from Pramac Ducati crossed the finish line with a 0.221-second lead over Maverick Vinales from Aprilia, followed closely by his teammate Jorge Martin in third place.

Heading into this weekend, Martin has a 24-point lead over Francesco Bagnaia, following the current champion's fall in the previous Sunday's Emilia Romagna MotoGP race.

Bagnaia found himself in 14th place earlier today, but given the dusty and slick track conditions, it's anticipated that lap times will see considerable improvement throughout the weekend.

Miguel Oliveira was transported to the medical facility following a highside crash at Turn 4 and did not make a comeback to the circuit.

Following an absence at Misano 2 because of illness, Alex Rins returned to compete for Monster Yamaha today.

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