MotoGP Indonesia 2023 schedule and preview – All details and times for the Indonesian GP

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The MotoGP championship fight is as tight as ever, with Francesco Bagnaia holding just a slender three-point advantage over Jorge Martin, with six rounds remaining this season. This weekend, the paddock will visit Mandalika International Street Circuit for the second time, after a rain-affected event last year.

MotoGP Indonesia 2023 schedule

The Asian portion of the MotoGP calendar is in full swing, as a triple-header commences this weekend. As a result, another early morning weekend is awaiting the European fanbase, who will become accustomed to this routine over the next month!

Two practice sessions will commence the action on Friday, the second of which will set decide which ten riders will earn a spot in Q2 automatically. After another practice session on Saturday morning, the two segments of qualifying will take place. Each will last fifteen minutes and the first will give promotion for Q2 to two more riders. Then will come the all-important battle for pole.

Then will come the two races of the weekend, which will award points to the riders. The Sprint will be contested over thirteen laps on Saturday, while the main event, the Indonesian Grand Prix will last 27 laps on Sunday.

MotoGP Indonesia 2023 weather prediction

Last year, the race took place in heavy rain, but the chances of that happening again are very slim. Rain could still be a part of proceedings on Friday, but the precipitation reduces drastically for both Saturday and Sunday. The weather will be hot on all three days and temperatures are expected to reach 34 degrees Celsius.

MotoGP Indonesia 2023 preview

On a streak that started when Francesco Bagnaia crashed and got his legs accidentally run over by Brad Binder at Barcelona, Jorge Martin has reduced the gap to the championship leader for seven consecutive races. The pair were split by 62 points before that race and it has all come down to three points after the Spaniard won a rain-affected Japanese GP last time out.

After that race though, there were bad news concerning the rider that lies third in the championship, Marco Bezzecchi. The Italian was training with Valentino Rossi between the two races, but a crash left him with a broken collarbone. He had surgery and will attempt to ride in Mandalika, but will probably be in a lot of pain if he makes it to the race.

His teammate, Luca Marini, is expected to make his comeback after missing the Japanese Grand Prix due to a similar injury. Two more Ducati riders will also attempt to make their return to action, with Alex Marquez recovering after fracturing three ribs and Enea Bastianini making his second comeback of the season, this time after hand and leg injuries sidelined him after Barcelona.

Alex Rins will be another rider aiming to race again. The Spaniard tried the same thing in Motegi, but his right leg was not ready and he withdrew. He hopes this weekend will be different. In the meantime, there were big news concerning Marc Marquez after Motegi, as the eight-time champion will leave Honda after this season. He will join Gresini in 2024, alongside his brother.

Indonesian GP history

The history of the race is quiet brief. The championship raced twice in Sentul towards the end of the 1990s, but left. It only returned last year, at another circuit, which is located in the Lombok island. Miguel Oliveira won in the heavy downpour last year, after beating Fabio Quartararo and Johann Zarco.

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