Race cancelled at Phillip Island’s final MotoGP weekend
The weather conditions were far from welcoming at Phillip Island for MotoGP’s final visit before its big move to Adelaide in the 2027 season. The race was delayed before eventually being cancelled following the cancellation of the Moto2 and Moto3 races due to rain and poor visibility on track.
The weekend saw several withdrawals from the main grid, starting with Toprak Razgatlıoğlu, who had withdrawn before the weekend began due to an injury sustained at Mandalika, ruling him out for the remainder of the season. The factory Honda riders were next to pull out of the weekend, with no replacements brought in.
They were followed by Raúl Fernández, who withdrew on Saturday due to the finger injury he sustained in his collision with Marco Bezzecchi at Mandalika, and Jorge Martín, who suffered a crash during the sprint and will undergo surgery on his wrist.
Fermín Aldeguer also missed the Australian Grand Prix due to a fractured metacarpal, and it has been confirmed that he will not return for next week's Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang.
With all that unfolded over the weekend, here is the sprint report from Phillip Island.
Sprint Race
Marc Márquez claimed his ninth sprint win of the season at Phillip Island in an action-packed session that unfortunately saw Jorge Martín crash out on Lap 8.
The incident ruled Martín out for the remainder of the weekend and with the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang taking place next week, there are concerns that he could miss that race as well. The crash has also shaken up a title fight that was expected to go down to the final round in Valencia.
Joining Márquez on the podium were his brother Álex Márquez and Fabio Di Giannantonio.
Marc got the perfect start off the line, while Martín surged from fourth on the grid to second place on the opening lap. With Álex and Johann Zarco also in the mix, the battle for the podium quickly took shape, with Martín keeping a close eye on his title rival.
Pedro Acosta soon joined the fight at the front, but Zarco dropped out of contention due to mechanical issues. The two title contenders continued to trade positions until Lap 8, when Martín hit the kerb at Turn 8 and crashed out of the session. It was later confirmed that he would undergo surgery on his wrist without returning to Spain.
Amid all the chaos, Di Giannantonio worked his way up to secure the final podium spot, with Acosta finishing fourth and Bezzecchi taking fifth after starting ninth.
Race day
After hours of uncertainty, the race weekend concluded with a farewell parade lap, giving fans who had braved the conditions one final chance to see the riders on track at Phillip Island before MotoGP’s move to Adelaide in 2027.
Among them was local favourite Jack Miller, riding a special-livery Pramac bike as he prepares to depart the team at the end of the season.
Be sure to catch the action at the Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia as the title fight continues on 1st November, with the race scheduled to begin at 7 am BST.
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