Mandalika practice: Fernández set record, Aprilia filled top three
NXTbets Pro | Published On: October 9, 2026
Fernández led practice
Raúl Fernández topped Friday practice at Mandalika with a 1:28.725 lap that set a new MotoGP track record, and he did it in a session marked by interruptions and crashes. The practice run was delayed by a connectivity issue in the FIM stewards’ room before the riding got going, then the day turned into a crash-filled scramble for track time and clean laps. Fernández took full advantage of the chaos. He put Aprilia at the front with the fastest time of the session and left everyone else chasing the benchmark he set. The record lap mattered even more because the field kept losing rhythm to incidents around the circuit. Riders had to deal with interruptions and put together a fast lap in a session that kept breaking apart. Fernández did not blink. He got the time, held the lead and gave Aprilia the lead story from the opening day at Mandalika.
Aprilia filled the podium
Aprilia owned the top of the sheet behind Fernández, with Marco Bezzecchi second and Jorge Martín third. They were the only riders within half a second of the pace setter, which showed how much of the day belonged to Aprilia. Bezzecchi and Martín gave Aprilia a sweep of the top three and put the brand in control of the headline positions while the rest of the field fought for a place just outside the podium spots. Pedro Acosta stood as the top non-Aprilia rider in fourth, and Marc Márquez was the top Ducati rider in fifth. That left two of the sport’s most watched names outside the top three while Aprilia built a clear edge in the opening practice order. The spread at the front told the story of the session. Fernández set the pace. Bezzecchi and Martín kept the pressure on. Everyone else had to settle for chasing the benchmark rather than matching it. For one practice day at Mandalika, Aprilia had the strongest answer at the front.
Crashes reshaped the order
The rest of Friday featured riders dealing with crashes and trying to salvage a result. Fabio Quartararo bounced back to seventh after a heavy crash earlier in the day, and Alex Márquez finished eighth despite crashing late in the session. Pecco Bagnaia came home 10th and earned his first direct Q2 berth since June, a useful finish in a session that kept testing riders from start to finish. Ai Ogura missed out on Q2 after backing off his final lap following a heavy Turn 8 crash in first practice, which left him out of Q2. Fermin Aldeguer‘s day included two crashes and a technical issue. He also came under investigation for impeding Franco Morbidelli. Enea Bastianini, Alex Rins and Diogo Moreira also crashed during the session, adding to the list of riders forced to recover rather than build momentum. That made Mandalika practice a day defined by three things, Fernández’s record lap, Aprilia’s clean sweep at the front and the crashes that shaped the rest of the order.
