Following on from an action-packed Friday at Phillip Island, Saturday brought plenty more excitement to the table. Thunderstorms had hit the island overnight, leaving a damp track for the riders as they set out for the qualifying sessions. Never one to shy away from challenging conditions, Jack Miller managed to fight his way into Q2 alongside Johann Zarco.
During the Q2 session itself, the rain returned. Marc Márquez crashed on his first flying lap and was forced to return to the pits to switch to his second bike in worsening conditions. But he’s won multiple championships for a reason, and he soon set what would be an untouchable time to take pole.
Sprint Start
By the time the Sprint got underway, the track had largely dried out with just a few damp spots remaining. It was Marc Márquez who got the holeshot, but championship rival Jorge Martín was up into second by the time they hit Turn 1. Pedro Acosta soon got past Jack Miller to take fifth, whilst Álex Márquez was pushed down to fourth as Johann Zarco slipped by. Marco Bezzecchi had dropped quickly and found himself down in 12th on the opening lap – not the start he would have been hoping for.
At the end of Lap 2, there was a flurry of fastest laps lighting up the timing board as the riders crossed the line. The first was Marc Márquez with a 1:28.386, then Álex Márquez with a 1:28.156, and then Acosta with a 1:27.914. Martín, who had lost places, made a move on Álex Márquez before immediately attacking Marc Márquez and taking the lead. Marc made a neat cut back underneath Martín to take the place back, but the Aprilia rider was having none of it, pushing past to get back in front once again.
Johann Zarco’s Australian Sprint came to a disappointing end on Lap 4, as he pulled off the racing line with a technical issue before trundling back to the pits to retire from the race. At the same time, Francesco Bagnaia was also in the pits and he too retired from the race.
A Back-And-Forth Battle
Martín set the fastest lap of the race so far on Lap 5 with a 1:27.229 but ran wide at Turn 4, allowing Marc to get back into the lead. There were all the hallmarks of a Phillip Island classic battle really starting to surface. On Lap 8 Martín overtook Marc again at Turn 1, only to have Marc pull the same undercut pass through the Southern Loop. This time, Martín used his momentum to cut back underneath Marc at Turn 4, but the Ducati ran him wide and there was the briefest moment of contact as Martín was forced back into second place.
And then, in the blink of an eye, it all went wrong for Martín. He hit a bump on the kerb which unsettled his Aprilia, and as he entered Turn 8, he dropped and slid off into the gravel. It was a rough crash, with the corner usually taken well in excess of 100mph. Martín tumbled through the gravel before coming to a stop, and the yellow flags were waved. As marshals came to his aid, there were worrying scenes as Martín was carried off on a stretcher before he was transported to the medical centre.
Closing Stages
It was Marc Márquez leading from his brother Álex, and by Lap 9 they were being followed by Fabio Di Giannantonio. The VR46 rider had been fighting his way up the order, showing some promising speed. Behind them was Marco Bezzecchi, who had done some amazing recovery work so far, with Pedro Acosta not far behind to make up the top five. Raúl Fernández had dropped to the back of the field, and on Lap 10 the Trackhouse rider came into the pits and retired from the race. It was clear from his body language that he was in serious discomfort, and it would later be confirmed that he was withdrawing from Sunday’s Grand Prix due to inflammation on his already injured fingers.
Whilst there was some movement further down the order, up at the front it was job done for Marc Márquez. He crossed the line to take the Sprint win, with Álex Márquez and Fabio Di Giannantonio joining him on the podium. Marco Bezzecchi finished fourth, with Pedro Acosta not far behind in fifth. Ai Ogura, Brad Binder, Jack Miller, Diogo Moreira and Iker Lecuona rounded out the top 10 finishers.
A Reduced Grid For Sunday
After the race, it was announced that Jorge Martín had a fractured right wrist, and that he would not be participating in Sunday’s race. Martín will undergo treatment in Melbourne, which raises the possibility that he may yet return at Malaysia in a week’s time.
Raúl Fernández will also be missing from Sunday’s grid, due to his existing injury suffering some serious aggravation. There’ll also be no Honda HRC for the Grand Prix race, with Joan Mir declared unfit before the weekend got underway, and Luca Marini suffering from a viral infection.
Toprak Razgatlıoğlu is out for the remainder of the season, but Pramac have drafted in Augusto Fernández as a replacement. Iker Lecuona steps in once again at Gresini, allowing Fermín Aldeguer more time to recover and hopefully return at Sepang.
With just 18 riders starting the 2026 Australian Grand Prix, and the weather likely to play havoc with proceedings, we’re in for one interesting final run at Phillip Island.