MotoGP: Aldeguer scores maiden win as Michelin's MotoGPTM tires shrug off Mandalika heat
Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) notched up his maiden MotoGPTM success at the Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia, Round 18 of the 2025 MotoGPTM World Championship. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) joined him on the podium at Mandalika where Michelin's Power Slicks took the extreme heat in their stride to deliver consistency and grip all weekend. Read on for more about what happened during the Indonesian GP...
From second on the grid on a front/rear combination of soft and medium MICHELIN Power Slicks, Aldeguer held position at lights-out behind Acosta – who got away to the best start – and gave a glimpse of his speed on the very first of the race's 27 laps.
By Lap 7, the Ducati youngster was in front and a run of quick times saw him pull out an enviable lead, aided by the grip and consistency of his slicks. Indeed, perfect tire management helped him to secure an emphatic victory, seven seconds clear of his KTM rival.
Aldeguer is now MotoGPTM's second-youngest grand prix winner (behind Marc Marquez), as well as the season's sixth victor and the 63rd in total on Michelin rubber.
The fight for the other podium places led to a superb scrap and some entertaining passes between Acosta (2nd) and Alex Marquez (3rd). Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Factory Racing) and Luca Marini (Honda HRC Castrol) rounded out the afternoon's top-five.
The start was marked by the falls of pole-starter/sprint-winner Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) and the recently-crowned world champion Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team).
Mandalika is notoriously tough on the riders and their tires, but Michelin's slicks rose successfully to the challenge of track temperatures approaching 60°C. Bezzecchi even established a new track record in qualifying (1m28.832s).
While the majority tire choice for Saturday's sprint was the soft front and rear, all of the options could be spotted on Sunday's grid, with two different pairings reaching the final top three after strong displays from all of the specifications available in Indonesia.
The result produced few major changes to the championship's provisional classification. Marc Marquez made sure of the 2025 crown in Japan so still tops the order, with brother Alex second on 362 points and Ducati Lenovo Team's Francesco Bagnaia third (274).
Next round: Liqui Moly Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix, Phillip Island (October 17-19).