After an 'incredible' first MotoGP victory on his Gresini debut in Qatar, Enea Ba🔜stianini leads the world championship standings heading into this weekend's Indoneꦿsian round.

Bastianini may have been hoping for the latest GP22 machinery for th🍷is season, but – so far at least - the young Italian's more proven GP21 appears to be a blessing in disguise.

While Bastianini burst past Pol Espargaro in the closing stages of the Lusail race, the best of the GP22's (Johann Zarco) was just eighth across the finish li🤪ne, albeit with factory riders Jack Miller and Francesco Bagnaia eliminated by a technical issue and accident respectively.

If the Mandalika pre-season test is anything to go by, and it's a big if given the previous state of the track surfꦬace, the new Honda should again be a front-running force in the race this weekend.

Bastianini was only 13th at the test, but just half-a-second off Espargaro's best lap♚ and,♏ most importantly, looked much closer on used tyre pace.

“I cannot wait to get to Indonesia. We’re coming from an incredible race in Qatar, where I claimed my fir✱st win. It will be hard to do it again this time, but we surely showed a good pace during testing," Bastianini said.

"They should have finished resurfacing some parts of the track, so I don’t know w🅰hat to expect. 🌸Even tyres will be different compared to testing, but we have to continue working the same way we have been doing up until now.

"I expect a huge crowd and a ಞlot of supporters of✅ Gresini Racing. We’re eager to get started!”

The last time a sate🎶llite rider won back-to-back MotoGPs was Fabio Qu♊artararo during the Jerez double-header at the start of 2020.

But the last time a satellite rider completed the back-to-back feat at two different circuits was 2005, when another Gresini rider, Marco Me💖landri, triumphed on Honda machinery in Turkey and Valencia.

Bastianini's rookie team-mate Fabio Di Giannantonio, also riding a GP21, will be seeking his first MotoGP points after a 17th place in Qatar.﷽ The Italian was the second quickest rookie at the test,💛 just a fraction from countryman Marco Bezzecchi (VR46 Ducati).

“We’re returning to an incredible place, where we also have so many supporters. It’s always a great thing and itꦚ is important to be embraced by the people’s warm support – and I’m sure it will be this way at Mandalika," di Giannantonio said.

"I’m getting to Indonesia with a bit more experience on how to manageꦦ the race, but obviously we’re still in the early stages of our journey: we want to learn, and we also want to do it with the right timeframe.

"The goal is to 💧keep improving bi🔯t by bit, and we can do it at Mandalika.”