MotoGP Indonesian GP: Live commentary and updates from Mandalika

Tyre pressures, on the other hand, were decisive in the sprint and Jorge Martin was forced to give up a comfortable lead due to his pressure warning lighting up on the dash. As always, it's a guessing game the teams have to try and get right.

Ah yes, tyres! Rubber was the talking point this time last week at Motegi. This week couldn't be more different. It looks like everyone will go with the medium rear and soft front, which would be no surprise.

We've just had Indonesia's rousing national anthem. (It's one of those where the name of the country pops up repeatedly, if you're amused by that sort of thing.) The crowd is loud but that is what happens when 65,069 spectators harness their collective voice. 

A reminder that any kind of finish today for Marquez will be his best Mandalika result in a Sunday race. He may have won the sprint yesterday but he has not, as a rule, had a good time at this place. One year ago, he was hit from behind on the opening lap by Bezzecchi, which ended his season early. He is still battling the injury from that accident.

If Marc makes the podium today and has to spend additional time in roasting leathers after the race, he isn't going to enjoy it any more than he did on Saturday. The air temperature sounds reasonable at 29 degrees, but the circuit is absolutely sizzling at 61 degrees. Yep, sixty-one! And there's the humidity to consider as well. 

Marc Marquez has given an interview to the world feed on the starting grid! That's not always guaranteed. Will it earn him some brownie points in with the organisers? He's not been making himself popular with them of late with some of his words and actions around riders' off-track commitments...

There have been attempts, apparently, to get Fernandez and Bezzecchi to speak to each other and ensure things don't go awry for Aprilia like they did on Saturday. They have the two fastest packages and will once again line up alongside each other in first and second. Here's the full grid:

Grid

All Stats

 

Cla	Rider	#		Bike	Time	km/h
1	R. Fernández Trackhouse Racing Team	25		Aprilia	1'28.852	174.627
2	M. Bezzecchi Aprilia Racing Team	72		Aprilia	+0.109 1'28.961	174.413
3	F. Di Giannantonio Team VR46	49		Ducati	+0.196 1'29.048	174.243
4	M. Marquez Ducati Team	93		Ducati	+0.266 1'29.118	174.106
5	J. Martin Aprilia Racing Team	89		Aprilia	+0.300 1'29.152	174.039
6	F. Aldeguer Gresini Racing	54		Ducati	+0.380 1'29.232	173.883
7	A. Ogura Trackhouse Racing Team	79		Aprilia	+0.427 1'29.279	173.792
8	A. Marquez Gresini Racing	73		Ducati	+0.534 1'29.386	173.584
9	P. Acosta Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	37		KTM	+0.556 1'29.408	173.541
10	F. Bagnaia Ducati Team	63		Ducati	+0.934 1'29.786	172.810
11	F. Morbidelli Team VR46	21		Ducati	+0.938 1'29.790	172.803
12	F. Quartararo Yamaha Factory Racing	20		Yamaha	+0.985 1'29.837	172.712
13	A. Rins Yamaha Factory Racing	42		Yamaha	+0.982 1'29.834	172.718
14	E. Bastianini Tech 3	23		KTM	+1.027 1'29.879	172.632
15	L. Marini Honda HRC	10		Honda	+1.185 1'30.037	172.329
16	B. Binder Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	33		KTM	+1.396 1'30.248	171.926
17	J. Miller Pramac Racing	43		Yamaha	+1.505 1'30.357	171.718
18	M. Viñales Tech 3	12		KTM	+1.652 1'30.504	171.439
19	T. Razgatlioglu Pramac Racing	7		Yamaha	+1.680 1'30.532	171.386
20	J. Zarco Team LCR	5		Honda	+1.851 1'30.703	171.063
21	D. Moreira Team LCR	11		Honda	+1.873 1'30.725	171.022
22	A. Espargaro Honda HRC	41		Honda	+2.215 1'31.067	170.380
View full results

As the riders leave the pits to head to the grid, a reminder that polesitter Raul Fernandez will do so with an injury that could really affect his chances. A fractured index finger is the consequence of yesterday's controversial first-corner incident, and the Spaniard plans on braking with his middle finger. Time will tell how well that works, but one thing is for sure: Fernandez is still steaming. Here are his thoughts from yesterday: 

First things first, we have what looks like a two-way battle for the world championship with five rounds left in the season. Marc Marquez hit the front for the first time with his sprint victory yesterday, but his lead over Jorge Martin is only four points.

Greetings MotoGP fans! This is Richard Asher opening the live text coverage of the Indonesian Grand Prix at Mandalika, which begins at the top of the hour. Good to have you with us!