Oliveira Controls Delayed Indonesian GP
Calum Gill 09:17 20/03/2022
Red Bull KTM's Miguel Oliveira dominated the delayed Indonesian Grand Prix at a soaking wet Mandalika circuit.
Oliveira fought off Jack Miller in the opening stages of the race and then checked out in front, staying firm in the face of a late charge from reigning champion Fabio Quartararo. It marked Oliveira’s fourth win in the premier class, and means KTM has now won at least one race for three successive seasons. Torrential rain arrived to the circuit just over half an hour before the race, and kept up to force a delay of more than an hour - albeit finally eased enough to dash fears that the grand prix would have to be cancelled. Poleman Quartararo managed comfortably the best start of those on the front row, which enabled him to lead throughout the opening lap - but he didn’t have the early pace to keep first place beyond that, swallowed up by Oliveira on the main straight and then Miller into Turn 1.
Miller then made his way past Oliveira at the Turn 10 right-hander, but the expected breakaway from the wet-weather specialist didn’t materialise - with Oliveira managing to keep up with seeming ease, and ultimately retaking first place at the left-hand Turn 12 a few laps later. By the time the race reached the 10-lap mark - the halfway point of the distance, which had been shortened by seven laps due to concerns over the tyres’ longevity in high temperatures on the peculiar Mandalika surface - Oliveira was already nearly three seconds up the road. Around that same time, Johann Zarco got past Álex Rins for third - both of them having cleared Quartararo when the latter struggled to get drive off the last corner’s wet outside kerb - and set off after Miller, soon catching up to the Aussie.
On the 15th lap, Zarco launched his Ducati down the inside of Miller but washed out wide to stay third, and that third soon briefly became fourth as a resurgent Quartararo caught up with the pair after passing Rins and picked off Zarco at the penultimate corner. After aggressively fighting off a Zarco counter-attack at Turn 1, Quartararo eased past Miller later into the lap and then immediately took a second out of Oliveira’s 4.5 seconds lead over the next lap. But Oliveira, informed that Quartararo was pushing behind him, soon responded and managed to limit his time losses over the rest of the race distance, ultimately finishing 2.2 seconds clear of the champion. Zarco completed the podium after taking advantage of Miller running wide, with the Aussie completing the top four ahead of the two Suzukis of Rins and Joan Mir, who made massive early progress from 17th on the grid.
Quartararo’s Yamaha factory team-mate Franco Morbidelli completed the loneliest race imaginable, finishing 13 seconds behind Mir in sixth but 11 seconds up on eighth-placed Brad Binder. Binder came out on top in what was effectively a six-bike late-race battle for eighth, despite a stern challenge from both Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaró - ultimately ninth - and his brother Darryn Binder. The younger Binder, who rides for RNF Yamaha after graduating straight from Moto3, was dead last on the opening lap, but charged into the top 10 spectacularly over the course of the race, finishing as the only rookie in the points. Qatar winner Enea Bastianini had a really difficult start, but lifted his Gresini-run Ducati back into contention for points as the race went on and ultimately claimed 11th ahead of the Hondas of Pol Espargaró and Álex Márquez, allowing him to retain the championship lead coming out of Mandalika.
Espargaró was the only Repsol Honda in the race, with Marc Márquez having been ruled out by a heavy highside in Sunday’s warm-up. VR46 rider Luca Marini spent much of the race in the top 10 but had to settle for an eventual 14th, while factory Ducati man Francesco Bagnaia had a really difficult time, hindered by a bad start and a huge moment at Turn 1 to eventually finish only 15h. A major pre-season favourite, he now just has one point after the first two races. Pramac's Jorge Martín suffered a second successive non-score off the front row to start his season. After being taken down by Bagnaia in Qatar, this time Martín lost his Ducati at the first corner moments after passing Morbidelli for seventh. The only other retiree was Andrea Dovizioso, whose RNF-run Yamaha developed a terminal mechanical problem while he was battling within the points early on.
