Fermin Aldeguer returns to Mandalika as the defending winner, but he does not see a repeat as an easy proposition. The Gresini Racing rider dominated the 2025 Indonesian MotoGP, finishing almost seven seconds ahead of Pedro Acosta. Marco Bezzecchi’s race ended with a crash on the opening lap.

Aldeguer’s position heading into the 2026 event is less convincing than it was a year ago. He has one podium after 16 races and has dealt with injuries both at the beginning of the season and at the Dutch MotoGP. Aldeguer says last year’s run to Mandalika included more podiums and greater consistency inside the top five. This season, he has struggled more with both the injuries and his feeling with the motorcycle.

The Spaniard still regards Mandalika as a circuit that suits him, pointing also to a strong Moto2 result there. Victory remains one of his aims, but Aldeguer wants to approach the weekend calmly instead of treating last year’s win as an expectation before the action begins.

Aldeguer sees two sides to the 2027 format

MotoGP’s 2027 format will reduce practice time and add a separate Friday qualifying session for the Sprint. Q1 will last 15 minutes, with all 22 riders on track together. Aldeguer sees a potential physical benefit in spending less time on track, but he also expects the compressed group session to create more opportunities for yellow flags and risky situations as everyone searches for a lap at the same time.

Sunday Warm Up will be replaced by a 10-minute period with the pit lane open before the race. Aldeguer believes riders should be able to complete roughly two laps, although they will not be able to push at 100 per cent with the start so close. He considers Warm Up valuable for preparing his body and for checking the motorcycle, particularly after a possible Saturday crash. His assessment of the new arrangement is therefore mixed: it may reduce the physical load, but it leaves less scope for a final, low-risk check before the race.