Marc Marquez ended Friday at Mandalika with a more encouraging view of Ducati’s position than he had expected before the Indonesian Grand Prix. The seven-time world champion was second in FP1 and fifth in Practice, 0.7 seconds behind Raul Fernandez, who set the fastest time of the session.

The result carries extra weight because of Marquez’s record at the circuit. Since Mandalika joined the calendar in 2022, he has not finished a Grand Prix there, while Ducati faced major difficulties at last year’s Indonesian event. Marquez said the changes he made during the 2025 warm-up, before the crash that ended his season, gave the team a stronger starting point for this year’s set-up.

A stronger race rhythm, but work remains on one-lap pace

Marquez feels more consistent over race distance, yet the time-attack lap remains the Ducati’s weaker area. He estimates that finding another one or two tenths of a second could put him in a position to fight regularly for the top five and, if the progress continues, for the top three.

Fernandez put Aprilia at the head of Practice by breaking the Mandalika lap record, with Marco Bezzecchi and Jorge Martin behind him. Marquez welcomed Fernandez’s performance, saying he would rather see Fernandez or Ai Ogura leading Aprilia than the two riders he identified as his main title rivals.

The competitive picture may shift as more rubber builds on the racing line and grip improves, something Marquez also noticed during last year’s weekend. Ducati’s next task is to turn the improved baseline into greater speed over a single lap.