Marquez turns to Ducati in bid to break Indonesian MotoGP mortgage

Marc Marquez aims to test his potential at Ducati during the Indonesian Grand Prix at the Mandalika Street Circuit. The circuit has undermined the otherwise excellent record of the six-time MotoGP world champion, as he has never managed to finish a race at the track.

The Spaniard has previously won at 16 of the 19 circuits on the 2024 MotoGP calendar. While he has stood on the podium at two of the other three circuits, in Portugal and Austria, he has yet to cross the chequered flag in Indonesia.

While this statistic comes as MotoGP has only visited the Lombok circuit twice, Marquez has only completed seven race laps on Indonesian soil to date.

Marquez was forced to miss the inaugural Indonesian MotoGP Grand Prix in 2022 after a serious accident during warm-up on Sunday morning. He compounded his problems the following year in Mandalika by crashing early in the sprint and Grand Prix race.

Marquez is a firm favourite with the local fans, but he is well-placed to earn their support in 2024. He will be hoping to continue his good form, which has seen him win two of the last three Grands Prix on the Gresini Ducati GP23.

“It will be interesting to understand where we are here,” said Marquez. “I haven’t finished a single race here in Indonesia because in 2022 I had a huge crash in the warm-up, so it will be interesting to understand how high we are with the Ducati.

Marc Marquez, Gresini Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

“It’s a song that I like. It’s not one of my favorites, but I like it, even though it wasn’t super good in the past.

“I’m looking forward to it. We’re aiming for the top four or five.”

Marquez, who will be promoted to the Ducati factory team next season alongside Francesco Bagnaia, arrives in Mandalika fourth in the general classification.

Marquez is 60 points clear of championship leader Jorge Martin and won’t say whether he still sees himself as a contender for this year’s title.

“I have already achieved my goals for this season,” he replied when asked if he plans to change his tactics for the final six rounds.

“Just enjoying (the last laps) is the most important thing.”