Indonesia Grand Prix sprint race results, Jack Miller crash in pit lane, Jorge Martin win, grid, race start time, how to watch

Spaniard Jorge Martin won Saturday’s sprint race at the Indonesian MotoGP to overtake rival Francesco Bagnaia at the top of the championship standings and turn the title race around.

Driver Pramac Martin is now seven points clear of reigning world champion Bagnaia after claiming his fourth consecutive sprint victory in hot and humid conditions.

Luca Marini, author of pole position in qualifying, took second place, while Marco Bezzecchi completed the podium a week after having surgery for a broken collarbone.

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Martin, 25, will look to capitalize on his new lead in Sunday’s main event after Bagnaia finished eighth, up from 13th after struggling earlier in the day to finish outside the second qualifying round for the first time this season.

“I feel great. Starting from sixth place was maybe not the best, but at least I was able to overtake,” Martin told reporters.

“Winning was difficult… but yeah, to finally lead the championship at this stage is great. It is a dream.”

Martin finished more than a second ahead of Italian Marini, who had already set a record lap at the Mandalika circuit on the resort island of Lombok.

He said he hoped he could “finish the weekend the same way” in Sunday’s main event, where he will again start on the second row with Bagnaia back in the middle of the pack.

This is the first time in his career that Martin has led the MotoGP championship.

Maverick Vinales gained an early lead over Marini, but he struggled to gain rear grip as Martin charged through the field to secure first place.

Bezzecchi, the Italian who sits third overall, capped a superb race to secure a podium place following his injury and late arrival in Lombok on Friday morning.

He has closed the gap on his closest rival Bagnaia to 49 points with tomorrow’s grand prix and five additional race weekends. He is 56 points behind Martin’s first place in the championship.

Test leader Aleix Espargaro and Brad Binder collided and crashed on the second lap.

Espargaro failed to finish but Binder dusted himself off to finish the race at the back of the pack.

They weren’t the only ones to crash, however, with Australian Jack Miller revealing after the race that he had face-planted after an incident in the pit lane.

“I also crashed in the pit lane after the race,” Miller said in footage shared by the official MotoGP page.

“I was heading towards the pit lane. I had my hand on the fuel tank… I pressed the pit lane limiter, so 70 kilometers/hour. So I just braked but the brakes were cold.

“And I guess I had been off the line the whole lap and as soon as the brakes were hot it was a big blow. I didn’t even have my hand on the handlebars. On my face. I swear to you.

“Pride hurts a little.”

Miller finished the sprint race in ninth place.

Alex Marquez – 11th in the standings – withdrew from Sunday’s sprint and main event due to a rib injury suffered in a serious crash during the Indian MotoGP last month.

His brother and eight-time world champion Marc crashed early in the sprint in what is one of his final race weekends for Honda following Thursday’s announcement of his intention to join satellite team Ducati Gresini Racing in 2024.

MotoGP returned to Indonesia last year at a new venue for the first time since 1997.