Form man Jorge Martin kicked his Indonesian MotoGP weekend off as he means to go on by topping the timesheets in first free practice at the Mandalika Circuit, but there could be concern for the injured Marco Bezzecchi following a fast crash in the final stages.

Winner in five of the last six races, Martin arrives in Indonesia now just three points shy of MotoGP points’ leader Pecco Bagnaia.

It was form that he continued to uphold in the opening session of the weekend on a slippery Mandalika Circuit that has already caught out several riders in all three classes.

Hitting the front in the closing stages with a 1m 31.811secs lap, Martin was joined under the 1m 39s barrier by Maverick Vinales, who led an Aprilia Racing 2-3 ahead of team-mate Aleix Espargaro.

In a strong start to the weekend for Franco Morbidelli, the Italian was the only representative from the Japanese manufacturers up in fourth place, ahead of Bezzecchi.

However, the VR46 Ducati rider, who remains involved in this year’s title battle, could be a concern for further participation this weekend after dropping his GP22 at Turn 11 while on a lap that could have placed him top of the timesheets.

Already carrying a collarbone injury following a spill at Valentino Rossi’s The Ranch last weekend, Bezzecchi only received the green light to participate in FP1 just prior to the session getting underway.

Even so, both he and Martin turned in faster lap times than overall leader Bagnaia, the factory Ducati rider settling in sixth, just ahead of the factory KTMs of Jack Miller in seventh and Brad Binder in eighth. 

Two riders returning to action following spells on the sidelines through injury, Enea Bastianini and Luca Marini completed the top ten.

Elsewhere, Miguel Oliveira was a faller at Turn 11 early in the session, while Alex Marquez - another rider back in action this weekend after missing the Japanese MotoGP with a rib injury - didn’t assist his recovery with an awkward moment himself.