MotoGP Farewell to Phillip Island: Rain Could Shake Up the Title Fight

• The 2026 Australian Grand Prix is the 30th and final world championship race at Phillip Island.
• Jorge Martin leads the championship by just 2 points from Marc Marquez.
• A 100 % chance of rain is forecast for Sunday, and a change to the schedule is being discussed.

The circuit south of Melbourne has been part of the motorcycle world championship since 1989, and many riders count it among their favourite tracks. That makes the sense of nostalgia all the stronger at round 18 of the 2026 MotoGP season. A lot is at stake in sporting terms. The four Aprilia riders already showed on Friday how well the fast coastal corners suit them. Marc Marquez still wants to take as many points as possible. Hanging over everything is the question of whether the weather will even allow a normal race.

Why is MotoGP racing at Phillip Island for the last time?

The South Australian government has secured the Australian GP from 2027, so MotoGP is moving to a redesigned street circuit in Adelaide. Formula 1 used to race on this street circuit.

The end did not come as a complete surprise. The facilities at Phillip Island are considered outdated, there is little accommodation and the circuit is difficult to reach. Spectator numbers had fallen in recent years. The Grand Prix was nevertheless important for the region, as visitors bring business to local companies.

The circuit’s world championship history is a long one. The Australian Grand Prix was first held there in 1989. From 1997, Phillip Island became the permanent host, replacing Eastern Creek. With this Sunday’s race, the era ends after 30 world championship rounds.

The riders initially had safety concerns about the Adelaide street circuit. MotoGP responded and, among other things, showed them an AI-generated onboard video of the new track. Since then, the riders have been less critical.

What makes the circuit so special for the riders?

At 4.4 kilometres, Phillip Island is very fast, has plenty of elevation changes and feels like an old-school race track. On top of that come its location right on the coast and the closeness to the fans.

Jack Miller knows this better than anyone else in the field. The Pramac Yamaha rider is the only Australian in MotoGP and counts Phillip Island among the most defining tracks on the calendar. He describes a lap as a constant dance with the bike. It shakes, the front wheel lifts and the wind pushes on the machine. That is why you can never really attack flat out. For him, that is exactly the appeal. His advantage: even if the bike isn’t perfectly set up, there is still something to be gained on this track as long as it turns in well.

Marc Marquez calls the circuit one of his favourites but also warns about it. It is fast and narrow, and anyone who crashes ends up straight in the gravel. He compares the riders’ respect for it to that for Assen. The last section of the lap in particular impresses him every year, especially in the opening laps.

For Jorge Martin, the surroundings are part of it too. Many riders don’t stay in hotels here but in rented holiday homes. Martin talks about the wildlife around the houses and about surfing. In riding terms, he believes the circuit demands a lot of technique because it differs greatly from the usual tracks. He has liked it since his Moto3 days.

How are the riders saying goodbye to Phillip Island?

The mood in the paddock is mixed: many are looking forward to one last weekend at a special place and are at the same time sad that it is over.

KTM’s Pedro Acosta puts Phillip Island on a par with Mugello and Jerez. He raves about the atmosphere and how close the fans are to the riders. He thinks it is a real shame that MotoGP won’t be coming back next year. Jorge Martin says he will miss the circuit. However, he thinks it is possible that MotoGP will return at some point.

Honda’s Luca Marini thinks back to the great races, especially in 2017 and 2018. In his view, the races here were often the best of the whole season for TV viewers and fans. He particularly likes the winner’s trophy, which is unique to Phillip Island. He has never made it onto the podium here. Whether he can attack at all this weekend is open. Marini completed only two laps in the first free practice session on Friday and then had to sit out because of a virus. His condition will be reassessed on Saturday.

Marco Bezzecchi says he has more memories of the island than of other tracks. He mentions performances by Valentino Rossi, the photo finish between Jack Miller and Pecco Bagnaia and many close battles. Last year he took his first MotoGP podium here, even though he had to serve a double long-lap penalty in the race. He had even dominated the Sprint clearly. He sees racing on this circuit as a privilege.

How does the championship battle stand before the Australian GP?

Ahead of round 18 of 22, Jorge Martin leads on the Aprilia by just 2 points from reigning champion Marc Marquez. After this weekend, four race weekends remain.

Marquez was more than 100 points behind at one stage this season and had ruled himself out of the title race. The 33-year-old then took the Sprint and Grand Prix double five times in ten race weekends. At Phillip Island, the factory Ducati rider wants to get as close as possible to the full 37 points. He admits, however, that the fast corners suit Aprilia. His hope lies in the track’s left-handers. Marquez points out that Aprilia were also favourites in Mandalika and he still didn’t lose a single point to Martin there. He had won the Sprint in Indonesia. He now counts Bezzecchi among his rivals again too.

The Italian is third in the championship and won the Grand Prix in Indonesia. However, he is still 46 points off the top. He partly has himself to blame for the deficit, having come away empty-handed after a collision in the Mandalika Sprint.

How strong is Aprilia before the last race at Phillip Island?

Aprilia clearly dominated Friday: in Practice, the RS-GP riders took first, second, fourth and fifth. Bezzecchi set the fastest time with 1:26.775 minutes, with Raul Fernandez just under a tenth of a second behind.

The day was far from calm, however. Shortly after the start of the session, Bezzecchi ran into the back of Alex Marquez’s Gresini Ducati at turn 4. He then crashed in the gravel, bodywork parts were left on the track and a red flag was shown. A little later, a second red flag interrupted the session because animals were on the track. Bezzecchi switched to his spare bike and worked his way back to the top.

Marc Marquez was fastest in the first free practice session in the morning. In Practice, he was the only Ducati rider to stay with the Aprilias and finished third. Ai Ogura set exactly the same time as Marquez in fourth. Championship leader Martin was the slowest of the four Aprilia riders in fifth. Diogo Moreira was the best Honda rider in ninth, and Fabio di Giannantonio took the last direct place in Q2 in tenth. Home rider Jack Miller has to go into Q1 in twelfth after an early crash.

Are there team orders at Aprilia?

Nobody at Aprilia has confirmed team orders so far. The four Aprilia riders did meet the team strategist on Thursday. However, Bezzecchi and Fernandez played it down and only spoke of having a coffee together. Bezzecchi points out that the factory team and Trackhouse exchange information at every race weekend.

The question is obvious nonetheless. In Mandalika, the four Aprilias finished first to fourth in the Grand Prix. Fernandez crossed the line second, ahead of Martin. The two Trackhouse riders Fernandez and Ogura can get ahead of Marquez and take points away from him. But they can just as easily cost Martin points. Whether Fernandez would have to back off if it came to it remains open.

Indonesia showed that agreements don’t always work. Before the Sprint, the instruction was not to get in each other’s way. Even so, Bezzecchi and Fernandez collided on the first lap before the first braking zone. Bezzecchi had gone wide and pushed Fernandez towards the kerb. Fernandez was furious and accused him of unprofessional behaviour. He had taken his first MotoGP pole position the same day.

How fit is last year’s winner Raul Fernandez?

Raul Fernandez is racing at Phillip Island but says he is not at 100 percent. Since his Sprint crash in Mandalika, he has been troubled by two broken fingers on his right hand.

Initially only one fracture was known. The morning after the crash, Fernandez realised that a second finger was also broken, including the index finger he normally brakes with. He initially kept this to himself. Trackhouse changed the position of his hand and the brake lever, and Fernandez braked with his middle finger. This meant he lacked all his usual reference points for braking points and corners. Even so, he led the Grand Prix for 18 of 27 laps and finished second behind Bezzecchi. By about half distance, he says, he was at the end of his strength.

Two weeks later, he is much better than in Indonesia, but worse than a year ago. Fernandez wants to take the weekend step by step with his team and see how the finger holds up. The physical strain will be the hardest part for him, plus the changeable weather.

The Spaniard celebrated his first MotoGP win at Phillip Island in 2025. He started from fourth back then and crossed the line 1.5 seconds ahead of Fabio di Giannantonio. Fernandez admits that Martin and Marc Marquez were missing through injury at the time. He therefore isn’t naming a target. But if a chance to win comes up, he wants to take it.

Is the race at risk of being postponed because of rain?

Yes, a change to the schedule is possible but has not yet been decided. According to Fabio di Giannantonio, alternatives have already been discussed in the paddock so that the racing can take place in the best possible conditions.

The forecast from the Australian weather service, the Bureau of Meteorology, is gloomy:

• Sunshine, temperatures of up to 26 degrees and strong winds were forecast for Friday.
• On Saturday, it is only expected to reach 19 degrees, with a 95 % chance of rain and 6 to 20 millimetres of rainfall. However, the rain is mainly expected in the afternoon and evening, so the Sprint could still stay dry.
• On Sunday, the chance of rain is 100 %, with 10 to 30 millimetres expected and a maximum of 18 degrees. Showers are possible throughout the day and could affect all three Grand Prix races.

Pecco Bagnaia expects that simply riding will be difficult on Saturday and Sunday. Marc Marquez stresses that the weather is the same for everyone. An unsettled weekend does make things harder for the riders, though. Jack Miller sees a certain irony in it: after several difficult years, he had hoped for good weather for the last race.

There is a precedent. In 2023, MotoGP brought the Grand Prix forward to Saturday because of a storm warning and swapped it with the Sprint. The storm did arrive on Sunday. Moto3 still raced in pouring rain, the Moto2 race was stopped and the MotoGP Sprint was cancelled. The organisers again want to wait and see how the forecast develops.

What time do the Sprint and Grand Prix start in Europe?

According to the current schedule, the Sprint starts on Saturday at 3pm local time, which is 5am UK time and 6am CEST. The Grand Prix starts on Sunday at 2pm local time, which is 3am UK time and 4am CET.

The time difference changes over the weekend because summer time ends in Europe on Saturday night. On Saturday, Australia is nine hours ahead of Central Europe, on Sunday ten hours. MotoGP qualifying is scheduled for 10:50am local time on Saturday, and on Sunday the warm-up follows at 9:40am, Moto3 at 11am and Moto2 at 12:15pm local time. If the organisers change the schedule because of the weather, these start times will also move.

What happens to Phillip Island after MotoGP?

The circuit remains a race track. From 2027, the Australian touring car series Supercars returns on a five-year deal.

Supercars last raced at Phillip Island in 2019 and were already on the calendar there in 1997. In future, the circuit is set to host one of the final races at the end of the season. The World Superbike Championship, on the other hand, is also leaving Phillip Island. It will hold its season opener there in 2027, after which it too will be over. The Victorian government hopes that Supercars will once again bring spectators and thus customers to businesses in the region.

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