MotoGP Mandalika test: Honda fastest, Mir absent with illness

Having ended Friday’s session fastest on the new Honda, Espargaro shot to the top of the timesheets in the opening hour of Sunday’s final running in Indonesia with a 1m31.060s.  

As much of the grid focused on race running, Espargaro’s lap would stand for the remaining seven hours of the test and ensure Honda begins its 2022 fightback in the strongest fashion.  

For 2020 world champion Mir, his preparations ahead of next month’s Qatar Grand Prix were heavily interrupted this weekend.  

Losing several team members to positive COVID-19 tests, Mir was forced to sit out the last day of running in Indonesia after developing food poisoning this morning.  

Joan Mir, Team Suzuki MotoGP

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Tech 3 KTM rookie Raul Fernandez’s running was also limited on Sunday after a concussion suffered in a crash on Saturday left him with vision problems, which contributed to him crashing seven laps into the session this morning.  

And after two crashes on Sunday on top of a fast one on Saturday, Pramac’s Jorge Martin also only completed 17 laps on the final day of testing this pre-season.  

Trailing Espargaro on the timesheets by 0.014 seconds on the final day and on the combined order was reigning world champion Fabio Quartararo.  

Disappointed at a lack of progress made with the 2022 Yamaha, Quartararo said on Saturday his focus was on trying to improve his time attack form having felt like he was missing something in this area compared to last season.  

Completing the top three on Sunday’s timesheet was Aprilila’s Aleix Espargaro, 0.325s down on his brother Pol, while the second factory Yamaha of Franco Morbidelli leaped up to fourth late on with a 1m31.416s.  

Francesco Bagnaia rounded out the top five as top Ducati runner on Sunday – though top Ducati honours on the combined order went to VR46’s Luca Marini, whose Saturday's time of 1m31.289s keeps him third overall – having focused on a long run on medium rubber.  

Alex Rins was sixth on the sole Suzuki present on track on Sunday with a 1m31.477s, while Maverick Vinales was seventh on the second of the Aprilia’s ahead of Pramac’s Johann Zarco, KTM’s Brad Binder and the LCR Honda of Alex Marquez.  

Marc Marquez was a low-key 14th on Sunday, 0.733s off the pace ahead of Ducati’s Jack Miller and RNF Racing’s Andrea Dovizioso.  

VR46 Ducati rider Marco Bezzecchi was the fastest of the rookies in 17th, 0.841s off the pace, with Gresini’s Fabio Di Giannantonio the next-fastest debutant in 18th.