The Red Bull KTM Tech3 squad has already made its way to heavenly Lombok Island for the fourth edition of the Grand Prix of Indonesia. Surrounded by beaches and eye-catching natural scenery, the Mandalika track has quickly become one of the most popular destinations in Asia for the championship, with more and more Indonesian fans coming to witness the best riders of the world do their things on track.

Grand Prix of Indonesia

Enea Bastianini and Maverick Viñales will be eager to bounce back from a tough campaign in Motegi last week, although Bastianini found a way to finish the weekend on a positive note with an 11th place in the main event. Both Red Bull KTM Tech3 riders will be working hard towards improving their feeling on the package this week, and hopefully we will see them closing the gap on their rivals. Enea Bastianini was on the sprint podium in 2024, just before unfortunately ending Sunday on a DNF despite having become the latest holder of the fastest race lap on this track. Viñales took the 6th place on the Sunday, while his best result in Mandalika was a 2nd place in 2023. Sooo, 4.3 km in paradise with 17 corners, 6 left- and 11 right-handers, await the Tech3 riders, who will have to face the tough hot and humid conditions of Indonesia, but they will be excited for the challenge!

With Lombok island 6 hours ahead of European time, watch out for the schedule if you are watching us from Europe, while local fans finally get their turns to watch the most exciting sport on earth at a decent time! The action of the Grand Prix of Indonesia will start on Friday morning at 10:45 local time (UTC+8) with Free Practice 1, followed later on by the hot-Practice session at 15:00. On Saturday, Enea Bastianini and Maverick Viñales will return to their RC16s at 10:10 for Free Practice 2, before qualifying starts at 10:50. In the afternoon, the Tissot Sprint will see the best riders of the world fight for the gold medal on the 4.2 km layout, at 15:00 for 13 laps. Finally, the big show will be on Sunday with the main race, scheduled at 15:00 (UTC+8), for 27 laps!

ENEA BASTIANINI: "We are coming from a difficult weekend in Japan, we struggled a lot to be fast in all sessions, but we left Motegi with some positives after the race. I hope that we can bring these to Mandalika this week. We will give our 100% from Friday morning, because it is going to be very important to qualify for Q2 in Practice. Indonesia is a very different track to Japan, and the weather conditions will be challenging, very hot and humid, so let’s see how we will approach this track with the KTM. I am really motivated, so let’s give our best and see how it turns out for us!"

MAVERICK VIÑALES: "We are arriving in Mandalika, a beautiful layout which I really like. I think it will be much better for my physical condition, as it has no hard-braking point. I am excited to meet our Indonesian fans who give us so much support when we come, so let’s see how the weekend goes for us, I look forward to it, and hopefully we can be able to ride at the maximum."

NICOLAS GOYON, Team Manager: "We carry on with our Asian tour with our next stop at the beautiful Lombok island in Indonesia. Year after year, more and more fans are joining us and it has become over the last few years one of the biggest MotoGP events in Asia. Japan was tricky for the Red Bull KTM Tech3 team, with both our riders having suffered for various reasons. Enea Bastianini ran after a decent feeling all weekend, and it seemed he finally got it on Sunday. He gets ready for Mandalika, a track he enjoys, and he was on the sprint podium last year. Our bike was on the podium here last season, so we might have all the tools to return to the top 5 this week. Last race, Maverick Viñales was divided by the lack of power and some behaviour issues from his bike. We had a complete debrief after the race to understand the full situation, and we have a few ideas for this week, that we look forward to trying on the bike, to hopefully improve the package. Let’s hope that Maverick will start seeing a bit of light this week in Lombok!"

ABOUT THE TRACK

Circuit surrounded by spectacular tropical views! Located in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, the Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit offers an unforgettable experience for MotoGP™ fans. Founded in 2021, the circuit is 4.3 km long and consists of 17 corners, with 6 left- and 11 right-handers. The track's very first international event was the Indonesian WorldSBK round in 2021 before it then opened its doors to MotoGP™ from 2022. With capacity for nearly 200,000 fans, the circuit is in an integrated entertainment and sports area, and is surrounded by beaches and eye-catching natural scenery. That combination makes it a perfect pitstop for both motorsport lovers and tourists!

TRACK RECORDS

All Time Record: 2024 - J. Martin (SPA) - 1’29.088  - 173.8 km/h
Best Race Lap: 2024 - E. Bastianini (ITA) - 1’30.539 - 171.0 km/h
Best Pole: 2024 - J. Martin (SPA) - 1’29.088  - 173.8 km/h
Top Speed: 2024 - P. Acosta (SPA) - 319.5 km/h