Indonesia MotoGP rider ratings: Miguel Oliveira glides his way to full marks

Miguel Oliveira (Qualified 7th, finished 1st) - 10

A sensational fourth MotoGP win of his career capped off one of the better weekends Oliveira has had as a premier class rider. Whether it be practice or qualifying, Oliveira looked immediately at home around the new Mandalika circuit, suggesting a big result was on the cards come Sunday’s race. And after making a brilliant launch - went from seventh to second on the run into turn one - Oliveira soon got to the lead before riding away from the chasing pack. Just like wins at Portimao and Barcelona, Oliveira proved rock solid at the front as he claimed the Austrian manufacturer’s sixth MotoGP win. 

Brad Binder (qualified 4th, finishes 8th) - 8 

While losing places from qualifying to the race would normally suggest a steeper drop in ratings, Binder had to survive a malfunctioning ride-height device from the beginning of Sunday’s race, therefore making his eighth place finish a very impressive one. Come the end of the 20 lap race, the South African was in a six-rider fight which he came out on top of. The two-time MotoGP race winner remains second in the championship following his brilliant effort. 

Fabio Quartararo (Qualified 1st, finished 2nd) - 9

MotoGP world champion Quartararo gets a grade of nine due to his overall weekend performance and race result. After securing a first pole position of 2022, the Monster Energy Yamaha rider produced by far his best wet-weather race since joining the top class in 2019 - finished second in conditions that had been a major problem previously. 

Franco Morbidelli (Qualified 12th, finished 7th - 8

A strong weekend for the 2020 title runner-up as he secured his first top ten result since returning from knee injury at the 2021 Misano MotoGP. 

Jack Miller (Qualified 9th, finished 4th) - 7

The factory Ducati rider gets a grade of seven for his performance in Mandalika. Looking like a potential race winner during the early stages, Miller was unable to keep pace as the race went on, not for the first time it's happened, as Johann Zarco and Quartararo came through to steal a podium. 

Francesco Bagnaia (Qualified 6th, finished 15th) - 4

Many people’s favourite for the title heading into the season-opener, Bagnaia instead leaves Mandalika with one point out of a possible 50. The Italian salvaged a Q2 performance after topping Q1, and although he went on to qualify sixth, Bagnaia was a complete no-show during the Grand Prix. 

Alex Rins (Qualified 8th, finished 5th) - 7 

Struggling to show the same level of performance as Qatar due to Michelin’s revised rear tyre casings, Rins was one of several riders who benefitted from the wet conditions as he claimed a first top five this season. 

Joan Mir (Qualified 18th, finished 6th) - 8

What looked to be a disastrous weekend for the 2020 MotoGP champion, Mir instead produced a stunning fightback in order to claim sixth. Having started in P18 - his worst qualifying result in the last two seasons - the Suzuki rider appeared to be heading for one of his worst race finishes in some time, however, race pace was once again the Spaniard’s saving grace. 

Aleix Espargaro (Qualified 10th, finished 9th) - 7

A quiet race for the Aprilia rider who could have qualified much higher had he not crashed on his final Q2 lap. Espargaro was part of the above-mentioned six-rider group led by Binder as he made late overtakes on Enea Bastianini and Darryn Binder for P9. 

Maverick Vinales (Qualified 20th, finished 16th) - 5

Another tough weekend for the former Yamaha man as he failed to get on pace with team-mate Espargaro. While potential is there for Vinales and Aprilia, results are yet to demonstrate such. 

Pol Espargaro (Qualified 16th, finished 12th) - 5 

After securing his second podium with Honda, Pol Espargaro was expected to be a main contender for last weekend’s race. And after topping FP1, those expectations were only heightened. But after a disappointing FP2 session in which he finished 18th, the Repsol Honda rider never really recovered as he claimed 12th. As was the case with Suzuki, Honda seemed to be most impacted by the change in tyre compound. 

Marc Marquez (Qualified 15th, Did not Start) - 0 

Marquez suffered one of his worst weekends as a MotoGP rider after crashing four times. That’s right, four times. After two falls in qualifying - both front-end crashes - Marquez was unable to race after a horrific fall in warm-up which left the Spaniard looking dazed and not himself. Due to not taking part in Sunday’s race, it’s only fair that the lowest possible grade was handed out, while uncertainty as to when he will race next is the primary concern after Marquez was diagnosed with a third episode of diplopia (double-vision). 

Jorge Martin (Qualified 2nd, DNF) - 3 

A strong qualifying performance helped Martin get a somewhat respectable final grade as the Pramac Ducati rider crashed out of the race after losing the front-end into turn one. Like Bagnaia, it’s been a disappointing return in terms of points as the Spaniard has zero through two rounds.  

Johann Zarco (Qualified 3rd, finished 3rd) - 9 

Zarco’s first podium since Barcelona last year, the French rider was arguably the quickest rider throughout the race. However, problems getting around Miller led to Quartararo pinching second spot away from the two-time Moto2 champion. Still, it’s performance that elevates him into the top five in the championship. 

Darryn Binder (Qualified 23rd, finished 10th) - 9 

One of the rides of the season thus far, the MotoGP rookie was sensational as he climbed his way up to eighth with just over a lap to go. Binder was eventually pushed back to tenth, but given it’s just his second premier class race, and the first in wet conditions, it was without doubt one of the more impressive performances. 

Andrea Dovizioso (Qualified 17th, DNF) - 3

Dovizioso gets a grade of three after another disappointing weekend aboard his RNF Yamaha. Although the Italian showed slightly more performance than in Lusail, the three-time championship runner-up is still lacking pace in both qualifying and race trim. Dovizioso had to retire from the first Indonesian Grand Prix since 1997 due to a technical issue. 

Enea Bastianini (Qualified 5th, finished 11th) - 6 

A maiden MotoGP race winner in Qatar, Bastianini put himself in contention to challenge again after a fifth place result in Q2. But following a poor start to Sunday’s Grand Prix, Bastianini was reduced to battling for a top ten result. Nevertheless, Bastianini remains the championship leader heading into round three in Argentina.

Fabio Di Giannantonio (Qualified 11th, finished 18th) - 6

Very much the highlight of his weekend, Di Giannatonio made it two Gresini Ducati’s inside the top 12 of qualifying after advancing through Q1 for the first time. Sadly for the young Italian he was unable to show similar pace in the race, instead rapidly dropping out of the points. 

Alex Marquez (Qualified 19th, finished 13th) - 5 

A vital third season in MotoGP for the younger Marquez, the LCR Honda rider remains a long way off the type of performances needed. Marquez has three points so far this season courtesy of his 13th place in Mandalika. 

Takaaki Nakagami (Qualified 24th, finished 19th) - 4

While it was a bad weekend for A. Marquez, it was even worse for team-mate Nakagami who qualified last for the first time in his five MotoGP seasons. The Japanese rider cited issues with his helmet visor during the race, which he believes played a big role in his P19 result.   

Luca Marini (Qualified 13th, finished 14th) - 5

A disappointing start to his second year in MotoGP, Marini is continuing to struggle with the new Desmosedici GP22. 

Marco Bezzecchi (Qualified 14th, finished 20th) - 5

Like Di Giannantonio, Mandalika was the first weekend where Bezzecchi began to show real potential as he finished second in FP4. The Mooney VR46 Ducati rider was then less than a tenth away from advancing to Q2, but after failing to do so, Bezzecchi struggled in the wet conditions as he slipped back towards the rear of the field.

Raul Fernandez (Qualified 21st, finished 17th) - 6

After a stunning adaptation to Moto2, Fernandez has so far failed to hit those heights in MotoGP, albeit it’s a class which he wasn’t expected to have immediate success in. Still, the Tech 3 KTM rider is yet to show what he’s truly capable of following a tough pre-season and opening round in Qatar. 

Remy Gardner (Qualified 22nd, finished 21st) - 5

After scoring a maiden MotoGP point in Qatar, current Moto2 world champion Gardner was a long way away from matching those exploits. The Australian finished 55 seconds off the win, while also being 20 seconds away from the final points scoring position.