Martin wins Indonesian GP 2024; Acosta retains 2nd place after clearance from FIM Stewards
Jorge Martin of Prima Pramac Racing secured a commanding victory at the Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia, taking his first Sunday race win since the French GP. The Spanish rider's triumph at the Mandalika International Circuit marked his first successful race at the venue after incidents in the previous two seasons and the Tissot Sprint earlier this year.
Martin's win earned him a valuable 25 points, extending his lead in the Championship standings to 21 points over main rival Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), who finished in third place after a late charge. Rookie Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) delivered an impressive performance, finishing in second and moving up to fifth overall in the Championship.
The race began, with Martin making a strong start to take the lead, followed by Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team). Bagnaia, however, struggled in the early laps, dropping from fourth to sixth place. In a dramatic opening lap, several riders, including Jack Miller, Alex Marquez, Aleix Espargaro, and Luca Marini, were involved in a multi-rider crash at Turn 3, which led to an investigation by the FIM MotoGP Stewards. No further action was taken.
As the race progressed, Martin maintained a strong pace at the front while Acosta overtook Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing) for second place. Meanwhile, Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP), who had moved up to seventh after starting 12th, retired from the race due to a technical issue.
The battle for the podium intensified with Bastianini, Morbidelli, Bagnaia, and Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) in contention. Bastianini made his way into third but crashed out on Lap 21, dropping him further behind in the Championship standings.
With Bastianini out, Bagnaia pushed forward, overtaking Bezzecchi and Morbidelli to secure third place behind Acosta. Morbidelli finished fourth, followed by Bezzecchi in fifth and Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) in sixth. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) took seventh place for the third consecutive Grand Prix, ahead of Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing).
Johann Zarco delivered a strong performance for the Castrol Honda LCR team, finishing ninth, marking the best result of the season for the squad. Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse Racing) completed the top 10, while Alex Rins (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGPâ„¢) took 11th place. Takaaki Nakagami (IDEMITSU Honda LCR) rounded out the points in 12th after receiving a penalty.
The next round will take place at the Mobility Resort Motegi for the Motul Grand Prix of Japan.
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