Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP

Quartararo Claims Point in Mandalika Sprint as Yamaha Shows Race Potential

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP's Fabio Quartararo and Álex Rins contested the Grand Prix of Indonesia Sprint on Saturday. In the hot and humid conditions at the Mandalika International Circuit, with temperatures around 29°C and humidity levels of 75%, both riders made progress through the field. Quartararo secured a championship point after finishing ninth, and Rins completed the Sprint in tenth place.

GRAND PRIX OF INDONESIA

SPRINT

Mandalika (Indonesia), 10th October 2026

9th

F. Quartararo
+10.248 / 13 LAPS

10th

Á. Rins
+13.288 / 13 LAPS

The Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team continued its positive weekend trajectory at the Mandalika International Circuit as Fabio Quartararo converted his solid pace into a point-scoring result in Saturday's Sprint race. Despite still feeling the effects of a crash earlier in the weekend, the Frenchman secured P9 in the 13-lap contest. Teammate Álex Rins also showed encouraging race pace, climbing from 13th on the grid to 10th at the chequered flag.

Quartararo started from P12 and completed the opening lap in 10th position after a two-rider incident at Turn 1. He moved ahead of Luca Marini on lap 5 before rapidly closing in on Francesco Bagnaia. The Frenchman spent several laps applying pressure to the number 63 but was unable to find a way through and ultimately finished just 0.209s behind him. Quartararo crossed the line in 9th place, 10.248s from the race winner, to score one championship point.

Rins lined up in P13 and dropped to 14th on the opening lap before beginning an impressive recovery ride. The Spaniard overtook Jack Miller on lap 4, Diogo Moreira on lap 6, Marini on lap 7, and Brad Binder on lap 9 to break into the top ten. With a comfortable gap both ahead and behind in the closing stages, he managed his pace to secure 10th place at the chequered flag, 13.288s from first.

Following the Sprint, Quartararo remains 15th in the MotoGP World Championship standings with 67 points, while Rins holds 20th place with 24 points. Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP stay 10th in the Team Championship with 91 points, and Yamaha remain fifth in the Constructor Championship with 90 points.

Tomorrow, the teammates return to action for Warm Up from 10:40-10:50 (GMT+8), followed by the 27-lap MotoGP Race at 15:00 local time.

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MASSIMO MEREGALLI
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team Director

"We're lucky that Fabio is okay after yesterday's crash. He is definitely feeling sore this weekend, but he was still able to deliver a good performance and score a point in the Sprint. This track is helping us because there are no long straights and the grip level is quite good. The riders are also happy with the way the tyres are working. It was a pity that Álex crashed on his final lap in Practice yesterday and was then held up during Q1 today, because we believe we could have had both riders in Q2. But the most important thing is that Álex has felt comfortable since his first run at this circuit. This morning we focused on building trust and confidence, and both riders showed they have the potential to fight. Fabio had good pace again today, and Álex produced a strong recovery ride, so we are looking forward to tomorrow and aiming to maximise our opportunities in the full-distance race, which we expect will be a physically demanding challenge for all riders."

FABIO QUARTARARO
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Rider

"This morning was tough, but the afternoon was better. I felt much faster, so the afternoon was quite okay. I expected to finish in my position. Two riders in front crashed, so we finished in P9, but it was the result I expected. Tomorrow we will race in hot conditions. Last year, the medium was not working for us, but it is this year, so I think we have both possibilities for the Race: soft and medium. Let's evaluate how the medium works, and then we'll see which tyre we will use."

ÁLEX RINS
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Rider

"Yesterday we missed out on Q2 by almost nothing, and today again we lost out by a very small margin, and in the Sprint we came just one position short to secure a point. Regarding the Sprint race, I had [Franco] Morbidelli in front of me on the first lap, and he braked a little bit early. I was a bit blocked there, and I lost many positions. After that, I recovered four or five positions again, and I enjoyed the Sprint a little bit, but Fabio [Quartararo] and Pecco [Bagnaia] got too far ahead."