MANDALIKA, Indonesia, Oct 10 (Reuters) - Ducati's Marc Marquez seized the lead in the championship standings for the first time in 2026 on Saturday by winning a dramatic Indonesian MotoGP sprint, after title rival Jorge Martin's race unravelled amid tyre issues.
Marquez's eighth sprint victory of the campaign moved him to 343 points, four ahead of Martin, completing a remarkable comeback for the defending champion, who trailed then-series leader Marco Bezzecchi by 102 points after the Italian Grand Prix in May.
"It was a very tough race, especially from the beginning, and then when I saw that Martin was leading, I pushed with all I have," said Marquez, who was left exhausted by the hot and humid conditions.
In a chaotic start to the sprint, polesitter Raul Fernandez and Bezzecchi found themselves lying in the gravel after the first turn, while Aprilia's Martin surged into the lead from the second row, with Marquez hot on his heels.
Martin quickly stretched his advantage and appeared headed for victory before deliberately conceding the lead to Marquez with five laps remaining to avoid a tyre-pressure penalty.
The 2024 MotoGP champion did his best to retake the lead from Marquez, but ran wide in his dogged pursuit and ultimately failed to finish on the podium, coming in fourth.
Trackhouse rider Ai Ogura was second, with Fabio Di Giannantonio (VR46 Racing) taking a third-placed finish on his birthday.
"I did a big mistake on the third lap, fourth lap, and then he opened a gap," Marquez said.
"In the last part of the race, I was able to catch him, I think he had some problem with the tyre pressure.
"In the end, I felt better and better with the laps, my pace was better, but in the end, as always, I tried to manage the risk. These 12 points in the Mandalika sprint race are super important."
The victory also appeared to end Marquez's run of misfortune in Indonesia. The Spaniard has endured a torrid record at Mandalika and suffered a season-ending collarbone injury there last year.
On Sunday, the 33-year-old will be hoping to complete his first-ever full MotoGP race at the Mandalika circuit after a string of crashes and technical setbacks in previous appearances.
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by William Mallard and Shri Navaratnam)
