Marco Bezzecchi
Luca Marini was on course for his best result of the MotoGP season after Marc Marquez crashed out of the Indonesian Grand Prix, before Raul Fernandez had other ideas.
The current champion’s lap one retirement presented an opportunity for a surprise winner on Sunday, and Fermin Aldeguer seized that chance to claim his maiden MotoGP victory. There was some worry over the state Marquez would be in after his heavy tumble through the gravel.
After flying home to Madrid, a collarbone fracture and ligamentous injury were revealed, which will sideline him for at least the next two races. Ducati will be without its star rider, which yet again opens things up for the upcoming events in Australia and Malaysia.
Brad Binder saved Marquez from an ‘even worse’ injury by complaining about the gravel traps before the weekend began. Marquez once ‘hated’ Marco Bezzecchi, the man who caused his accident and injury, but has since changed his mind about the Italian. There’s a better understanding between them now.
READ MORE: Ducati have ‘already’ alerted 69-race rider that he may be required to replace injured Marc Marquez
Luca Marini urges MotoGP bosses to ‘change’ the gravel on some circuits for 2026
Aleix Espargaro has been ‘surprised’ by Marini in 2025, and has seen how much hard work he has been putting in behind the scenes to go faster. He had a front row seat to watch Marquez as he skated off the track, and didn’t rush to make his move.
He took his time, only for Trackhouse’s Fernandez to divebomb him, resulting in multiple lost places and a podium slipping out of his hands. Fernandez doesn’t deserve another year in MotoGP, according to Peter Bom, who was frustrated by his moves.
Speaking after the race, Marini was still concerned about the state of the gravel traps, believing that they were the cause of Marquez’s injury. He told Diario AS that something ‘will have to change’ for 2026, to avoid further injury to riders.
“I would say yes [the injury was caused by the gravel], because in the end it seemed to me a normal fall. But then both Marc and Bezzecchi fell hard and rolled a lot because the gravel was misplaced,” he said.
“You have to be very careful, because it is not something that only affects Mandalika; it also happens in other circuits. For next year, something will have to change, without a doubt. But the problem is that it’s too late for Marc.”
Why Luca Marini has sneakily been one of the best MotoGP riders in 2025
For someone who sustained a mega crash and injury in training for the Suzuka 8 Hour earlier this year, Marini’s rapid recovery and pace since then has been so impressive.
He missed just three MotoGP races at Aragon, Mugello, and Assen before making his comeback at the Sachsenring with a sixth-place finish.
In fact, in every race that he has finished this season, he has scored points. Mandalika should’ve been the reward for all his hard work and patience, but a podium slipped through his grasp.
Recent results suggest that bigger things could be on their way, but he’ll just have to remain patient and avoid getting caught up in the mess his rivals can sometimes create.
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