Mandalika, West Nusa Tenggara. Reigning world champion Francesco Bagnaia staged a dramatic comeback to claim victory in the Pertamina Mandalika Grand Prix after starting 13th on the grid as closest rival Jorge Martin crashed while leading midway through the race on Sunday.

Bagnaia, riding for Ducati, not only secured a stunning win but also reclaimed his top position in the championship standings, a spot briefly lost to Martin after the sprint race the day before. He now becomes the first MotoGP rider to win a race from outside the fourth row since Marco Melandri in 2006.

"I think we deserved a race like this. Starting from 13th on the first lap, I gave the maximum I could,” Bagnaia said during the post-race interview.

“When I saw Martin [crash], I told myself to take care of the tires and then see how it goes. In the last 10 laps, I controlled the pace. I am very, very happy."

Aprilia’s Maverick Vinales put up a strong fight but couldn't fend off Bagnaia's relentless pursuit. He settled for second place after leading the race for several laps following Martin's mishap.

Vinales will have to wait a bit longer to become the first-ever rider to win a race with three different factories. This marks his third second-place finish this season out of 15 races, during which he also retired four times.

Vinales lauded the "amazing Indonesian crowd" and relished their support during on-track celebrations with local marshals.

Fabio Quartararo completed the podium for Yamaha with a strong start, finishing just under a second behind the leader. There are still five races to go for Quartararo to prevent Yamaha from a winless season.

The Mandalika circuit witnessed a roller-coaster weekend for Pramac Ducati's Jorge Martin. He remarkably won his sixth sprint race on Saturday, briefly snatching the lead from Bagnaia, only to lose it once again due to a blunder on Sunday. The introduction of the Saturday sprint this season has added an extra layer of excitement and unpredictability to the championship standings.

It was also a memorable race for Fabio Di Giannantonio, who achieved his career-best finish in fourth. The Italian's emotional celebration with the Gresini crew members reflected his immense joy.

However, it was another race to forget for Honda's star rider, Marc Marquez. He crashed before the halfway point of the race, marking his inability to complete a Sunday race in Indonesia, where he has millions of fans. During the inaugural Mandalika MotoGP race last March, he couldn't participate due to a severe crash during the warm-up session.

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