MotoGP: Indonesian Grand Prix – Who Did What

MotoGP is back racing in MotoGP for the first time in 25 years. However, the MotoGP race nearly never got underway due to monsoon levels of rain. After a hour delay the bikes were out on track and delivered an amazing race.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing:

After a second place in the opening race of the season the Austrian factory team went one better in Indonesia. Their Portuguese rider took the first win of 2022 for KTM.

Miguel Oliveira:

The Portuguese rider put together an incredible race in the wet conditions. After qualifying in ninth place it looked like Miguel Oliveira could have an average ride in the dry.

But in the wet conditions Oliveira looked unbeatable as he ran away from the rest of the grid. The now four time MotoGP race winner crossed the finish line 2.2 seconds ahead of the second place rider. This race win is crucial for Oliveira’s future in MotoGP.

Brad Binder:

After qualifying fourth place it looked like KTM were hoping that their South African rider would bring home the victory. However, Binder did not have the pace in the wet.

Binder was battling around tenth place all the way through the race. But he managed to cross the line in eighth place, which is good damage limitation for the 26-year-old.

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP:

After a dreadful opening round of the season at Qatar it looks like the Mandalika Circuit suits Yamaha better. With the track being tight and twisty on paper it looked like Yamaha territory.

Fabio Quartararo:

The reigning champion managed to qualify up on pole position in Indonesia for the first time since Catalunya last year. If the track had stayed dry Quartararo would have likely run away in the race.

However, the Frenchman managed to overachieve in the wet and finished second place, claiming crucial championship points. As a rider who has struggled in the wet in the past Quartararo managed a great result today.

Franco Morbidelli:

Morbidelli also struggled in Qatar after looking strong up until qualifying. The Italian looked strong around Indonesia up until he crashed in the second qualifying session and then got a three place grid penalty.

After starting 14th the Italian put in a lot of work in the treacherous conditions and managed to bring himself up into seventh place across the line.

Pramac Racing:

Another team who had a poor showing at Qatar had a good weekend for one rider and a shocker for the other.

Johann Zarco:

The experienced Frenchman put together a great weekend in Mandalika after his average Qatar weekend. Zarco qualified on the front row in third place and looked like he would challenge for the win.

Zarco ended up bringing home his Ducati GP22 in third place and adds to his points scored at Qatar.

Jorge Martin:

One of the potential dark horses for the championship this year has had an awful start to his 2022 season. After qualifying second place it looked like Martin could pick up points after being take out in Qatar.

Whereas, Martin ended up finishing his second Grand Prix of the year in the gravel trap again. The Spanish rider ended up crashing out at turn one again, but this time it was his own doing.

Ducati Lenovo Team:

The championship favourites are still struggling to find their way at the start of this season with two awful Grands Prix for their lead rider.

Jack Miller:

After an average qualifying down in ninth place it looked like Miller would be after a top ten finish around Mandalika. However, when the rain started to fall it looked like it could be ‘Miller Time’.

But Miller could only managed fourth place around the new circuit. A fourth place is a good result for the Australian after a technical issue ruined his race in Qatar.

Francesco Bagnaia:

The championship favorite continues his horrible start to the 2022 season. Who would have thought that Bagnaia would have scored one point from the first two races.

After qualifying sixth it looked like the Italian could have a good race around Mandalika. But he could only manage a fifteenth place finish.

Team Suzuki Ecstar:

After a horrible weekend in the dry the rain was a miracle for Suzuki after they had no grip with the rear tyre.

Alex Rins:

A fifth place finish for Rins seemed like a dream come true after Friday. The Spaniard qualified well in eighth place and the rain allowed him to benefit and climb up to fifth.

Joan Mir:

The 2020 champion had a shocking Friday and Saturday and started the Grand Prix down in seventeenth place. Again the rain was a savior for Mir.

The Spaniard shot his way through the grid as he clawed his way up to sixth place by the time that he crossed the finish line.

Aprilia Racing:

Aprilia once again had a decent weekend with one rider and the other is still adapting himself to the new machine.

Aleix Espargaro:

The Spanish rider qualified down in tenth place, which nowadays is a rather average qualifying for Espargaro.

The older of the Espargaro brothers managed to drag his Aprilia across the line in ninth place. Which really is a rather average race for Espargaro.

Maverick Vinales:

Once again Vinales is showing that his testing times are never reliable. After looking strong at testing in Mandalika Vinales qualified in nineteenth place.

The Spanish rider once again finished outside of the points as he crossed the line in sixteenth place.

WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team:

An incredible showing from the rookie rider in the satellite Yamaha team and a technical failure from the experienced rain master sums up the satellite Yamaha teams weekend.

Darryn Binder:

Testing in the wet conditions at the Mandalika preseason test clearly helped Binder massively as in the wet he was incredible. The rookie South African managed to cross the line in tenth place in his second ever MotoGP race.

Andrea Dovizioso:

Dovizioso qualified in sixteenth place and looked like he would struggle in the dry. But rain always brings Dovi into the party.

However, it was not meant to be for the experienced Italian as his bike had a technical failure after he was making good progress in the race.

Gresini Racing MotoGP:

The Gresini team have experienced the highs and lows of MotoGP in just two races back as their own independent team.

Enea Bastianini:

The Italian, who is still the championship leader, had a poor race compared to his race win in the Qatar Grand Prix.

‘The Beast’ bought his GP21 Ducati home in eleventh place in the second Grand Prix of the season.

Fabio Di Giannantonio:

A first ever wet race in MotoGP for Di Giannantonio was a decent result for the Italian rookie as he crossed the line in eighteenth place.

Repsol Honda Team:

A disastrous weekend for the Repsol Honda Team after a great start to the year at Qatar. Their eight-time world champion was ruled out of the race before it even began.

Pol Espargaro:

The Qatar podium man did not repeat his success in Indonesia. Espargaro started in fifteenth place.

The race did not go much better for the Spanish rider as he finished the race in twelfth place.

Marc Marquez:

The eight-time world champion did not even start the second race of the season today. The Spanish rider crashed a total of four times in practice, qualifying and warm up.

But it was his monstrous highside in warm up which ended Marquez’s weekend as he was sent crashing down to earth and was ruled unfit with concussion.

LCR Honda:

The LCR team have continued to struggle at the start of the 2022 season.

Alex Marquez:

The younger of the Marquez brothers started the race in eighteenth place and looked like the race would also be a struggle.

A thirteenth place finish is mediocre for Marquez, but it is better than what was expected at the start of the weekend.

Takaaki Nakagami:

The Japanese rider qualified dead last for the second round of the season as he started from twenty third on the grid.

Nakagami did not improve in the race as he finished nineteenth place out of twenty one riders.

Mooney VR46 Racing Team:

The Mooney Valentino Rossi Team had a decent race around Mandalika for one of their riders and the rookie had a lot to learn.

Luca Marini:

The Italian rider started the race in twelfth place and looked strong around Mandalika in the test.

Marini looked strong at the start of the race in the wet. However, he dropped back during the race and only managed a fourteenth place finish.

Marco Bezzecchi:

The Italian rookie started thirteenth in his second ever MotoGP race, which is an incredible achievement.

But the race did not go to plan for Bezzecchi as he only managed to finish twentieth place in his first ever wet MotoGP race.

Tech3 KTM Factory Racing:

Both of the Tech3 KTM riders were outside of the points today and had a poor weekend at Mandalika.

Raul Fernandez:

The Spanish rookie started twentieth place and it was obvious that it was going to be a struggle for the rookie.

Fernandez finished the race in seventeenth place, which compared to other rookie riders was a decent result.

Remy Gardner:

The Australian rider qualified down in twenty-first for his second ever MotoGP race. Which was also the same position that he finished the race in.

Images from MotoGP.com