Marco Bezzecchi set the pace in MotoGP’s opening session at Mandalika, in a run that initially pointed to a complete Aprilia lockout at the front. Jorge Martin and Raul Fernandez joined him among the leading three before the final laps, but Marc Marquez changed the order on his penultimate tour. The Ducati rider climbed from eighth to second, leaving Martin third and Fernandez later dropping to fifth after Pedro Acosta overtook him.

The front-runners stayed with a single soft-front and medium-tyre combination throughout the session. That choice is not expected to become the preferred solution for the rest of the weekend, so the next run should offer a clearer indication of the teams’ relative form.

Fabio Quartararo was eighth as Yamaha’s leading rider, with Alex Rins in 11th. Johann Zarco was Honda’s best in 14th, while Diogo Moreira and Fermin Aldeguer both crashed. Ai Ogura was 21st after a fast accident that caused heavy damage to his motorcycle.

Pecco Bagnaia finished 13th after a separate moment in which his leg came off the bike. Earlier, FIM Stewards examined a near miss involving Bagnaia and Toprak Razgatlioglu before deciding that no further action was required. Aleix Espargaro returned to competitive MotoGP as a Honda test rider and placed 22nd, 2.8 seconds behind Bezzecchi. The next session was scheduled for 3pm local time, or 8am in the UK.