MotoGP Preview: Australian Grand Prix
MotoGP’s title fight has not shown any signs of slowing down, with Jorge Martín maintaining his two-point lead over Marc Márquez. With his victory in Indonesia, Marco Bezzecchi has reminded fans of his presence in the 2026 title battle.
This week, the riders leave Asia and make their way to Australia, with Philip Island sure to add even more drama to the standings. Here is all you need to know ahead of MotoGP’s Australian Grand Prix...
This week’s track: Philip Island
Yet another gorgeous track surrounded by breathtaking views, the Asia and Oceania segment of the calendar never fails to impress. The excitement is sure to make it to the track as well, with 12 corners along 4.44 km (2.76 miles).
Wide racing lines and fast sweeping corners offer riders plenty of opportunities for overtaking, making the Phillip Island track another fan and rider favourite.
Some key sectors to keep an eye on this weekend include the tight hairpin of the Miller Corner (Turn 4), one of the heaviest braking zones on track, and the Gardner Straight coming into the Doohan Corner (Turn 1).
With a rich racing history in both motorcycle and car racing, Phillip Island hosted its first 500cc motorcycle race in 1989, becoming a regular stop on the MotoGP calendar ever since.
This week will mark MotoGP's last visit at Phillip Island for at least the next six years, as the Australian Grand Prix will be relocated at the new Adelaide Street Circuit.
Past results
As always, Philip Island delivered a thrilling event in 2025, topped by Raúl Fernández's maiden win in MotoGP. Marc Márquez was out of contention following his injury, leaving the coveted first place up for grabs and making the track battles even more intense.
Fabio Quartararo qualified on pole, but was not able to convert this result into anything more than 11th place in the race and seventh in the sprint. Bezzecchi claimed the sprint win instead, followed by Fernández and Acosta, marking Ducati’s first sprint without a rider on the podium.
In the race, however, the Aprilia rider could only make it to third after having to serve a double long lap penalty. Following their crash at this year's Indonesian Grand Prix, could we witness another battle between the Aprilias of Bezzecchi and Fernández this week?
Left without a teammate, Francesco Bagnaia let Ducati down, crashing out of the race and only finishing 19th in the sprint. Home hero, Jack Miller, wasn’t any luckier as he did not get to see the chequered flag on Sunday either.
With Phillip Island potentially due to host its last MotoGP race this weekend, it's time to note some of the most memorable moments witnessed at this track. In 2004, Valentino Rossi claimed the world title here, winning against Sete Gibernau.
Álex Rins managed to top an intense race against title contenders Bagnaia and Fabio Quartararo in 2022, while Johann Zarco won his first race in the premier class with a spectacular performance in 2023. The storied history of Phillip Island means it will forever remain a track of dramatic overtakes and surprise winners.
Key talking points
The Indonesian Grand Prix proved lucky for Aprilia as the Italian manufacturer claimed its first-ever 1-2-3-4 on Sunday.
Bezzecchi claimed the victory, the first after his injury in Germany, but he was unsatisfied with his result over the whole weekend, stating: “I came here this weekend knowing that I could be fast and knowing that if I worked well, there was a possibility to gain some points. And yesterday, I fell.”
“As Massimo [Rivola] said, it's more a loss than a victory. But in the end, we are still a little bit there.”
He gained only three points on Marc Márquez in the standings, but still mathematically in the fight, could Bezzecchi make a comeback by the end of the season?
On Saturday, the Italian rider crashed into polesitter Fernández, causing him to break his finger. Fernández was able to pull through and finish second to Bezzecchi in the race, but the Trackhouse rider voiced his dissatisfaction after Saturday's session, stating: “The worst thing is the frustration of knowing that Marco did something he shouldn’t have done.
“You can crash, and we’ll get back up and move on. But it’s really ugly when we both arrive at the first braking zone knowing that we’re both Aprilia riders and that we have the pace to put us slightly ahead of the rest, only for him to focus solely on pushing me off the kerb under braking ”.
With the Aprilia bikes at the top of the standings, is it time for the manufacturer to introduce team orders?
Martín completed the podium on Sunday and reclaimed the lead from Marc Márquez, who briefly returned to the top of the standings after winning in the sprint.
The two-point difference remains as we head into Australia, and although the Aprilia rider appeared content with his performance in the race, he believed that the sprint was a missed opportunity to distance himself further.
He stated: “The maximum was third place today, but I am frustrated about yesterday because I think the [Sprint] victory was going to be mine.”
Marc Márquez was yet again focused on minimising damage, believing that the Aprilias had the advantage in Indonesia.
He stated: "When I was coming here, I said, ‘Okay, maybe we will lose 15 points,’ because if Bezzecchi or Martín take the 37 points and you finish P5, then you lose more or less 20 points. In the end, we were able to be there and to leave Mandalika on the same number of points as before."
Fermín Aldeguer will not be able to compete this weekend as he underwent surgery on his right arm. The Gresini rider crashed at the Indonesian Grand Prix and fractured his hand, leaving Iker Lecuona to compete in his place in Australia.
Joan Mir has been declared unfit for racing at Phillip Island, leaving his teammate, Luca Marini, as the sole Honda HCR rider on track this Sunday.
Toprak Razgatlıoğlu will also miss the race at Phillip Island following his shoulder injury at Mandalika. It has been confirmed that the 2026 rookie will have to sit out the remaining races of the season as well.
Don’t miss the last battles awaiting us at Phillip Island and tune in to the Australian Grand Prix this Sunday, 25 October, from 14:00 local time (05:00 BST).
Edited by Vyas Ponnuri
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