Marc Marquez Challenges the Mandalika Taboo: “I’ll Attack on Every Track, Including Here”

Marc Marquez arrives in Indonesia with the MotoGP title within reach and unfinished business at Mandalika. The Ducati rider is second in the standings, just two points behind Jorge Martin, but he has never seen the chequered flag in a Sunday race at the Lombok circuit. At the opening press conference of the 2026 Indonesian Grand Prix, he made it clear that he does not intend to play it safe.

The #93 heads into the seventeenth round of the season after a perfect haul in Japan: victory in both the Sprint and the feature race, scoring all 37 available points. In the last six weekends, he has achieved four double victories. And never before have the top two in the standings been so close after sixteen rounds.

"Compared with last year, I have arrived here with completely different expectations", Marquez explained. "I am simply focusing on the present and trying to get off to a good start. We want to work well in our garage and give it our all. Last year, I felt better and better as the weekend progressed. That is the goal this year as well".

The numbers explain the caution. Across four editions since 2022, Marquez has scored just eleven points. In 2022, a highside during the warm-up with Honda prevented him from racing; in 2023, he crashed in both the Sprint and the main race. In 2024, he took a Sprint podium with Gresini, but his engine let him down on Sunday. Last year, as a newly crowned champion, he was hit by Marco Bezzecchi on the opening lap: a shoulder injury brought his season to an end.

"On paper, Indonesia has historically not been my best track, and in the past I have never managed to finish the main race", the Spaniard admitted. "The main objective with the team is precisely to reverse this trend and put together a solid weekend".

Defend or go all-in against the Aprilias? Marquez has no doubts: "As I already said at Motegi, I will try to attack at every track. That is the objective here as well". The nine-time world champion nevertheless acknowledges Noale's advantage at this circuit: "I feel better on the bike now, so we will see what is possible. But it is clear that the track suits Aprilia better. We will try to stay close to them".

Ducati, for its part, knows how to win at Mandalika: Bagnaia in 2023, Martin in 2024 and Fermin Aldeguer in 2025 all took the Desmosedici to victory. On the other side of the garage, Bagnaia arrives after finishing eighth at Motegi and without a podium in seven rounds: "Historically, I have been fast and victorious here, although we struggled a lot last year".

Marquez also commented on the new format presented on October 7, coming into force in 2027, with a Sprint qualifying session on Friday and less time on track: "For the rider, adapting means greater intensity; it will be more demanding. The current schedule is already quite intense. But we do not make the decisions". And on the riders' weight: "The teams and the organization decide. You either accept it or walk away". Now the track will have its say: Mandalika will reveal whether the taboo is finally set to fall.

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