Phillip Island has begun its final MotoGP visit before the Australian Grand Prix moves to a new Adelaide street circuit in 2027. The weekend opens with the championship finely balanced: following the Indonesian round, Jorge Martin leads Marc Marquez by only two points at the top of the standings.

Both title contenders missed last season’s Phillip Island event through injury. Marco Bezzecchi then won the Sprint and Raul Fernandez took the Grand Prix, giving Aprilia a clean sweep of the weekend’s premier-class victories. Marquez returns to a venue where he has four premier-class wins, including his 2024 success with Gresini Ducati. The other Phillip Island winners on this year’s grid are Fernandez, Johann Zarco and Alex Rins, each with one victory. Jack Miller is also contesting his last Australian MotoGP before switching to WorldSBK next season.

Aprilia sets the early pace

Friday’s MotoGP timetable puts FP1 at 10:45 local time and Practice at 15:00. The first FP1 laps briefly produced an all-Aprilia top three, with Marco Bezzecchi, Martin and Fernandez ahead, before Marquez moved between the factory Aprilias in second. That opening sequence made the RS-GP look like a possible reference point in dry conditions, although it was only an early session picture rather than a final result.

The session was also interrupted by a series of incidents. Fernandez crashed at Turn 7 and immediately reached for his injured hand. Brad Binder suffered a major engine failure on the main straight, with smoke coming from his KTM as he pulled off. Iker Lecuona, replacing Fermin Aldeguer at Gresini Ducati, also fell; his GP25 struck a tyre barrier, while Lecuona was able to walk away.

Medium front and rear tyres were the main opening choice, although some riders selected a soft front. Bright conditions are expected for Friday, with rain showers and cooler temperatures forecast for Saturday and Sunday. Fabio Quartararo’s 1:26.465 on a Yamaha from 2025 remains the circuit record. Marquez holds the fastest race lap, a 1:27.765 set on a Ducati in 2024. Adrian Huertas topped the opening Moto2 session, with Australian rider Senna Agius third.