Jorge Martin heads to Phillip Island with a two-point advantage over Marc Marquez in the MotoGP championship. The Aprilia rider says he feels fast and ready for the Australian Grand Prix, but the circuit presents a particularly open challenge: he has yet to complete a lap there on an RS-GP.

The margin is unchanged from before Mandalika, where Martin and Marquez scored the same number of points despite Aprilia’s strong weekend in Indonesia. Martin took a podium and said a tyre-pressure problem probably cost him victory in the sprint. His focus, however, has already moved to the next round. “Indonesia is the past,” he said, making clear that Phillip Island is now the priority.

Marquez brings substantial experience of the venue, having won four MotoGP races there, including the 2024 event. That was also his only previous Phillip Island appearance on Ducati machinery. Neither he nor Martin competed in the 2025 Australian round because of injuries. Aprilia won both races in their absence, with Marco Bezzecchi and Raul Fernandez taking the respective victories.

Martin expects the track to compress the performance differences between the riders and create more group racing. He wants to be competitive but has avoided setting a numerical target for the weekend, preferring to maximise the bike’s performance, keep a strong feeling and be “clever” across both races. Rain is forecast for Saturday and especially Sunday, increasing the importance of adaptability and finishing both contests. Taking points from Marquez would be valuable, although Martin’s stated aim is to deliver his best performance rather than chase a specific result.

Marco Bezzecchi, Martin’s Aprilia team-mate, is third in the championship, 46 points behind the leader with five rounds remaining. That leaves the title battle finely balanced as MotoGP reaches a circuit where both main contenders will be managing different forms of uncertainty: Marquez’s proven record at Phillip Island against Martin’s lack of RS-GP track time there.