MotoGP cancelled at Phillip Island: Martin stays in title fight despite broken arm

• The Australian GP was called off at 3:35 pm local time, and Moto2 and Moto3 did not race on Sunday either
• Martin has a non-displaced fracture of the radius, the suspected fracture of the ulna has not been confirmed
• Marc Marquez heads to Malaysia with a ten-point lead over Martin, Marco Bezzecchi is 50 points behind

Sunday was supposed to be a big farewell. After almost three decades, MotoGP is leaving the circuit on the Bass Strait, and from 2027 the Australian Grand Prix will be held on a street circuit in Adelaide. The grandstands were sold out and the organisers had expected a record crowd. In the end, not a single race took place. Instead of fighting for championship points, the MotoGP riders completed a lap of honour behind the safety car and stopped on the main straight to say goodbye to the fans. The cancellation has a noticeable impact on the 2026 title fight, because the injured Martin could otherwise have lost even more ground.

Why was the Australian GP at Phillip Island cancelled?

The reason was poor visibility, not the rain alone. The medical helicopter could not fly in these conditions, and without it no race is allowed to take place.

MotoGP rules require the helicopter to be on standby during the races so that an injured rider can be flown to hospital quickly. The nearest major hospital in Melbourne is around two hours away from the circuit by car. Ducati team manager Davide Tardozzi summed up the problem. He explained that in this weather the helicopter could not even get from Melbourne to the circuit.

On top of that came the rain. Between 15 and 35 millimetres of rain had been forecast for Sunday, along with strong winds and low temperatures. The forecast for the weekend had been poor from the start. At the beginning of the weekend there was talk of changing the schedule as a precaution. In the end, however, nothing changed. That is a difference to 2023. Back then, MotoGP brought the Grand Prix forward to Saturday because of a storm warning and moved the Sprint to Sunday. The main race still took place, while the Sprint was later lost to the weather.

How did Sunday unfold at Phillip Island?

Throughout the day, the schedule was pushed back again and again. The MotoGP warm-up was planned for 9:40 am local time, after which Moto3 was due to start at 11 am, Moto2 at 12:15 pm and MotoGP at 2 pm.

At first, officials hoped for an improvement around 11 am. That did not happen, and the warm-up was eventually cancelled altogether. After that, the word was that there would be no running before 1 pm, and later not before 3 pm. MotoGP was now set to be the first race of the day so that at least the premier class would get its Grand Prix. Moto2 and Moto3 would only have raced if the weather and daylight allowed it.

In the early afternoon, first the Moto3 race and then the Moto2 race were cancelled. For MotoGP, the last provisional plan was a pit lane opening at 4 pm and a start at 4:30 pm. At 3:35 pm the final cancellation came, 25 minutes before the pit lane was due to open. At 3:45 pm the riders went out on track for their farewell lap.

What injury did Jorge Martin suffer in the Sprint crash?

Martin has fractured the radius in his right forearm, at the end close to the wrist. The fracture is not displaced, which means the bone fragments are still in place.

The Aprilia rider crashed out of second place on lap eight of Saturday’s Sprint. According to the TV footage, he slid into the gravel at around 180 km/h (112 mph) and had to be taken away on a stretcher. The first X-rays at the Medical Centre showed the fracture of the radius. There was also a suspicion that the ulna might be broken as well. The radius and the ulna are the two bones of the forearm.

A CT scan in Melbourne on Sunday morning provided clarity. According to Aprilia, the non-displaced fracture of the radius is the only confirmed injury. The suspicion regarding the ulna has therefore been ruled out. Shortly after the crash, Martin himself had said that it had been a very dangerous impact but that he was nevertheless fine.

Can Jorge Martin race at the Malaysian GP in Sepang?

Racing in Sepang is the goal. Martin is not flying back to Spain but will be treated locally over the coming days.

This decision follows exactly the plan that Aprilia had outlined on Saturday evening. At the time, the team said that in the case of a non-displaced fracture of the radius, Martin would stay in the region and try to race in Sepang. Had the fracture been displaced or had the ulna also been broken, he would have flown straight to Spain for surgery. The Malaysian Grand Prix takes place as early as next weekend.

The team has not yet said exactly how long Martin will be out. Whether he will actually start in Malaysia will only be decided after further examinations on site. This is not Martin’s first forearm injury. In spring 2025, he had already broken his radius, among other injuries, in a training crash and had to miss the first races of the season.

What does the cancellation mean for the title fight between Marquez and Martin?

The cancellation slows Marquez down. Instead of extending his lead in the Grand Prix, he goes into the next race weekend with a ten-point advantage over Martin.

Before the Sprint, Martin was still two points ahead. Marquez’s Sprint win and Martin’s crash produced a twelve-point swing. In the Grand Prix, Marquez would have started from pole position while Martin had to watch. A win would have brought another 25 points. That scenario no longer exists.

Tardozzi spoke openly about the fact that Martin had been lucky in a way. At the same time, he stressed that this was secondary for Ducati. The main concern was rider safety. The fact that Marquez could have gained points played no role in the decision.

After Phillip Island, four race weekends remain: Malaysia, Qatar, Portugal and Valencia. Each weekend offers a maximum of 37 points, twelve for a Sprint win and 25 for a Grand Prix victory. Mathematically, that leaves 148 points up for grabs. Behind Marquez and Martin, Bezzecchi is also still in the title race, 50 points behind. For Martin, the key will be how fit he is in Sepang. Riding a fast track like Sepang with a broken forearm takes a lot of strength, especially under hard braking.

Moto2 and Moto3 without a race in Australia

The smaller classes also came away empty-handed on Sunday. Their riders leave Phillip Island without having contested a single race. MotoGP at least had its Sprint in the dry on Saturday.

In Moto3, the cancellation no longer changes anything in the title race, as Maximo Quiles of the CFMOTO Aspar Team has been confirmed as world champion since the race in Indonesia. Moto2 is a different story. There, Manuel Gonzalez and Izan Guevara of the Pramac team are separated by just 5.5 points. Gonzalez would have started from pole position, Guevara from sixth place.

A farewell to Phillip Island without a race

For the fans and many riders, Sunday was a disappointment. Phillip Island first hosted the Australian Grand Prix in 1989 and has been the permanent home of the race since 1997. Only in the Covid years of 2020 and 2021 was the Grand Prix not held there.

Tardozzi said that nobody had wanted an ending like this, especially for the fans. The lap of honour behind the safety car was an attempt to give the spectators one last MotoGP appearance on the island despite everything. From 2027, the World Championship will race in Australia on a street circuit in Adelaide. For MotoGP, it will be the first race on a street circuit of this kind.

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➜ This article is part of our comprehensive overview: 2026 MotoGP Season: The Complete Overview – Teams, Riders, Calendar & Championship Standings. Find all key information on this topic in one place.