The sun was shining on Phillip Island as the final MotoGP race weekend at the iconic circuit got underway. There were plenty of thrills and spills, with some uniquely Australian interruptions throughout the morning and it was Marc Márquez who set the top time in FP1. But it was all about Aprilia in the Practice session, with Marco Bezzecchi, Raúl Fernández, Ai Ogura and Jorge Martín taking four of the top five spots. Márquez split the group, but there was no denying Aprilia’s form in Friday’s sessions.
Jack Miller Prepares To Say Farewell
The crowds had also descended upon Phillip Island to cheer on their home hero Jack Miller ahead of his move to WorldSBK in 2027. The Prima Pramac Yamaha team made a surprise presentation to Miller as they unveiled that their bikes will run an Aussie Gold & Green livery in honour of Miller at his final home race in MotoGP. The presentation was touching, and it clearly meant a lot to Miller who gave an emotional thank you speech.
Free Practice 1
There was early drama in the Practice session. Iker Lecuona, standing in this weekend at Gresini, had a huge slide through the gravel at Turn 7. To add to the heart-stopping moment, the bike hit the tyre barrier before bouncing back into the air over the still-sliding Lecuona, missing him by inches. The Spaniard was quickly back up on his feet and had escaped unharmed.
Not long after, Brad Binder’s KTM was seen spitting out a huge plume of smoke as he suffered an engine failure on the Gardner Straight. It brought an end to Binder’s FP1 run, and adds to the already worrying tally of engine issues faced by the team this season so far.
Raúl Fernández was the next to fall, also coming off at Turn 7. Worryingly, he could be seen clutching at his already injured fingers. But he was soon up and walking off as marshals recovered his stricken Trackhouse bike. Just a short while later, he was back out on track and ready to push. Just 22 minutes after his crash, Fernández put himself at the top of the timings.
Closing Stages
With just under four minutes remaining in FP1, there was excitement for the home fans as Jack Miller set the fastest time of the session so far. If there’s one thing that makes Phillip Island even better, it’s an Aussie in P1. But the excitement was soon dampened, as Miller had slid out and tumbled through the gravel at Doohan Corner.
As the chequered flag signalled the end of the session, Marc Márquez set a blistering 1:27.985 to take the top spot on the timing sheets. Fernández who finished second, whilst Miller hung on to third. Bezzecchi and Álex Márquez rounded out the top five, with Pedro Acosta, Jorge Martín, Ai Ogura, Fabio Quartararo and Fabio Di Giannantonio making up the rest of the top 10.
Practice
The early pace in Practice was set by Johann Zarco, followed by Bezzecchi and Marc Márquez. Five minutes into the session and Miller was down again, this time at Turn 6. Unlike his crash in the earlier FP1 session, he was able to pick the Pramac back up and rejoin. However, the orange and black flags were waved to signal Miller to stop due to the visible damage to his bike, which was also scattering gravel onto the track surface.
The first red flag of the day came nine minutes into Practice, as there was contact between Marco Bezzecchi and Álex Márquez. The Aprilia nudged into the back of the Márquez’s Gresini, sending them both wide onto the grass through Miller Corner, with Bezzecchi coming down. The contact had also ripped off a large chunk of the Aprilia’s fairing, which flew across the track. The halt in proceedings allowed marshals to recover both the bodywork and help Bezzecchi out from under his bike and out of harm’s way.
Whilst the red flag period was short-lived, they were waving once again just under 10 minutes later. This time, the problem with the “track conditions” was infinitely more Australian. A rogue wallaby was hopping alongside the tyre barrier before it was seen vaulting itself to safety. Would it be Phillips Island without a wildlife interruption?
The Session Restarts Again
As things got back underway once more, Bezzecchi and Marc Márquez moved themselves back up into first and second. But as the clock ticked down, the pressure ramped up. With 20 minutes to go in the session, Pedro Acosta launched the first of the time attacks and went fastest. The Aprilias made their first attack a few minutes later. But despite their speed, Martín only managed second fastest with Bezzecchi and Ogura behind him in third and fourth.
Álex Márquez was the one to bump Acosta down. But the Gresini rider was immediately beaten by his brother to form a Márquez 1-2. Raúl Fernández then split the siblings as he moved himself up into second. With five minutes to go, the riders piled out of the pits for their last chance at securing a direct pass to Q2. Álex Márquez crashed out at Turn 4, whilst Fernández and Bezzecchi shifted up into P1 and P2 respectively.
But Bezzecchi wasn’t done yet. At the last moment, he set a 1:26.775 to take P1, which is just shy of the all-time lap record (which currently stands at a 1:26.465 as set by Fabio Quartararo in 2025). Fernández finished second fastest, followed by Marc Márquez, Ogura, and Martín. Álex Márquez, Enea Bastianini, Acosta, Diogo Moreira and Fabio Di Giannantonio rounded out the top 10.
Will The Weather Spice Things Up At Phillip Island?
Friday may have been bathed in sunshine, but it’s looking a lot wetter for Saturday and Sunday. Crucially, the forecast is deteriorating too.
Saturday’s rain is expected to fall mainly in the afternoon and evening, meaning the Sprint should be largely unaffected. However, there’s a predicted 10-30mm of rain and a maximum temperature of just 18°C throughout Sunday.
If schedule changes are made, it wouldn’t be the first time we’ve seen it here. In 2023, organisers swapped the Grand Prix to Saturday, with the Sprint moving to Sunday. In the end, weather conditions were so terrible that the Sprint ended up being cancelled entirely.
Hopefully we won’t see such a disappointing end to MotoGP’s final Phillip Island visit, but the weather certainly promises to spice things up. What’s more, with the championship battle already tight, we can’t wait to see how the rest of this weekend unfolds.
Feature image courtesy of Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP