The final MotoGP weekend at Phillip Island got underway in spectacular and chaotic fashion on Friday, with red flags, crashes, a visiting wallaby, and a late flurry of flying laps turning the order on its head. When the dust settled, it was Marco Bezzecchi who sat atop the timesheets — the Mandalika winner bouncing back from an early spill to set the fastest time of the day — while four Aprilias occupied the top five and title rivals Marc Marquez and Jorge Martin found themselves in very different positions heading into Saturday.
First 20 Minutes — Red Flags, Crashes and a Wildlife Interruption
The session had barely settled into its rhythm before drama struck. Jack Miller — already involved in a Turn 1 crash during FP1 — went down again at Turn 6, bringing out the first stoppage. Minutes later, Marco Bezzecchi tumbled at Turn 4 after making contact with Alex Marquez under braking, prompting a second red flag to clear debris. The Italian was unhurt and rejoined, determined to make up for lost time.
Then came the most unusual delay of the day: a wallaby wandered onto the circuit, necessitating a third pause while marshals guided the visitor to safety.
Once running resumed, the pace picked up immediately. Bezzecchi showed no ill effects, shooting to the front ahead of Marc Marquez and Raul Fernandez. Pedro Acosta surged into provisional top spot, while Fabio Di Giannantonio tucked right behind him in third. Further back, Iker Lecuona — standing in for the injured Fermin Aldeguer — impressed in eighth, less than 0.7s off the leading time and ahead of Alex Marquez.
Mid‑Session Shake‑Up — Marquez Brothers Lead, Then the Aprilias Strike Back
With eight minutes remaining, the order shifted again. Marc Marquez edged ahead of his brother Alex to post the first 1’26 lap of the weekend, moving into provisional P1. Raul Fernandez split the siblings, while teammate Ai Ogura climbed into fifth. At this stage, championship leader Jorge Martin sat sixth, with Bezzecchi seventh — both outside the automatic Q2 spots and needing to improve in the final minutes.
The closing flurry changed everything. With two minutes left, yellow flags flew at Turn 4 as Alex Marquez crashed out — ending his session but leaving him fast enough to still make Q2. Behind the waving flags, Bezzecchi found another gear, rocketing to the top with a lap of 1’26.775 that stood unchallenged. Raul Fernandez followed him through into second, while Ai Ogura took fourth and Jorge Martin — on his final flying lap — grabbed fifth.
The result? Four Aprilias inside the top five, swarming all around third‑placed Marc Marquez, who encountered a technical issue on his final run and had to hitch a ride back to the pits on a scooter.
Friday Practice — Top 12
| 1 | Marco Bezzecchi | Aprilia Racing | 1’26.775 | — | Crashed earlier, recovered to P1 |
| 2 | Raul Fernandez | SuperFile Trackhouse | 1’26.812 | +0.037 | 2025 winner strong again |
| 3 | Marc Marquez | Ducati Lenovo | 1’26.841 | +0.066 | Fastest Ducati, late issue |
| 4 | Ai Ogura | SuperFile Trackhouse | 1’26.903 | +0.128 | Career‑best Phillip Island run |
| 5 | Jorge Martin | Aprilia Racing | 1’26.918 | +0.143 | Last‑lap charge secures Q2 |
| 6 | Alex Marquez | BK8 Gresini | 1’26.944 | +0.169 | Crashed final lap |
| 7 | Enea Bastianini | Red Bull KTM Tech3 | 1’27.022 | +0.247 | Late surge up order |
| 8 | Pedro Acosta | Red Bull KTM Factory | 1’27.048 | +0.273 | 0.026s off top 7 |
| 9 | Diogo Moreira | Pro Honda LCR | 1’27.115 | +0.340 | Rookie shines |
| 10 | Fabio Di Giannantonio | Pertamina VR46 | 1’27.128 | +0.353 | Just misses top 9 |
| 11 | Johann Zarco | Castrol Honda | 1’27.182 | +0.407 | Drops into Q1 |
| 12 | Jack Miller | Prima Pramac Yamaha | 1’27.205 | +0.430 | Two crashes, P12 |
Facing the Q1 Cut — Big Names Left on the Wrong Side
The line between direct Q2 qualification and a fight through the first knockout session was razor‑thin. Fourteen riders were covered by less than a second, with positions 11 through 19 separated by barely six tenths. Joining Zarco and Miller in Q1 are:
- Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory)
- Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo)
- Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha)
- Iker Lecuona (BK8 Gresini)
Luca Marini sat out most of the session to rest and recover, leaving him on the back foot for Saturday morning. Qualifying gets underway at 10:50 local time (UTC+10) — and with times this tight, nothing is guaranteed.
Moto2 — Guevara Edges Agius in Photo‑Finish, Title Contenders Split
The intermediate class delivered one of the most compelling battles of the opening day, with times tight right through the 45‑minute session. Izan Guevara — fresh from a hat‑trick of strong results — laid down his marker early and then improved when it mattered most, crossing the line with a best lap of 1’30.016. That was just enough to deny local hero Senna Agius, who chased hard all session and finished a mere 0.018s behind in second — the kind of margin that keeps fans and riders on the edge of their seats. Agius was fastest through the first two sectors on his final run but couldn’t quite find the extra edge through the final complex to snatch the top spot.
David Alonso completed a closely matched top three, 0.272s off Guevara’s pace but showing consistent speed across his laps. His teammate Daniel Holgado was fourth despite a dramatic moment at Turn 10 where he lost the front and slid off with just over 20 minutes remaining — he walked away unhurt and will look to bounce back stronger on Saturday. Just 0.003s further back in fifth was Filip Salač, who found his rhythm late in the day to surge up the order.
Behind the leading group, Alex Alonso Lopez (sixth), Alex Escrig (seventh), and championship leader Manuel Gonzalez (eighth) all finished within four tenths of the fastest time. Crucially, Gonzalez — who carries the series lead into this weekend — secured his place directly in Q2, avoiding the early knockout session.
However, the news was not so good for third‑placed rider Ivan Ortola, who will have to come through Q1 for the first time this season after finishing outside the top ten. With rain forecast for parts of the weekend, that means an extra race against the clock before he can even set a foot on the grid for qualifying proper — and a genuine risk of being eliminated early if conditions turn tricky.
Moto3 — Carpe Strikes Late, Kelso Annihilates the Gap, Quiles Shows Race Pace
Moto3 served up another thriller, with positions swapping right down to the final chequered flag. Alvaro Carpe unleashed his best performance of the weekend right at the death, moving to the top with a lap of 1’35.292 — a statement ride after his early exit in Indonesia. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider was within touching distance of the lead for most of the session before finding that decisive tenth of a second when it counted most.
Right on his tail was Joel Kelso, the Australian home hope who gave the local crowd plenty to cheer about. The Gryd Racing rider went second fastest, just 0.026s behind Carpe, and was consistently in the top three throughout the session — a massive confidence boost as he chases his first podium finish of the season on home soil.
Newly crowned World Champion Maximo Quiles settled into third, less than a tenth behind Kelso. Rather than chasing the absolute fastest lap, the CFMOTO rider focused on long runs and consistent sector times, staying out on the same set of tyres for much of the session to simulate race conditions — a clear sign he’s already thinking about Sunday and maximising his points haul.
David Almansa took fourth, though it wasn’t his usual dominant opening day performance, while Scott Ogden charged up the order late on to grab fifth — the British rider finding his rhythm exactly when he needed it. Rico Salmela and Matteo Bertelle also set personal bests in the closing minutes to complete the top seven.
Further down, Kiattisak Singhapong turned heads by breaking directly into Q2 for the first time this season with a superb tenth‑place finish. The Thai rider’s performance was a career best, beating several established names in the process.
Just outside the automatic qualification spots, the margins were painfully tight: Eddie O’Shea missed out by just 0.023s, joined in Q1 by Veda Pratama, rookie Adrian Cruces, and Guido Pini — who had earlier crashed at Turn 4. Qualifying for the lightweight class gets underway at 12:45 local time (UTC+10).
What They Said
“There’s still a lot to do,” Bezzecchi cautioned despite topping the timesheets. “It’s only Friday. We had a good run but the track will change and the conditions could be different tomorrow.”
“The first laps at Phillip Island, you’re a rookie,” Martin admitted. “It takes time to find your rhythm here. I’m happy to get into Q2 directly, but we need more tomorrow.”
“It’s a good start,” Marquez said of his P3. “We’re fighting and we’re close. The bike is working better now, so we’ll keep pushing.”
Aprilia team management also addressed questions about team orders, stating “No team orders… for the moment” — a comment that will keep the intrigue levels high as the weekend progresses. Ducati’s Davide Tardozzi responded: “Aprilia can do what they want. We only care about being fastest.”
Looking Ahead — Sprint Saturday
With rain in the forecast, Saturday’s action could be even more unpredictable. Qualifying kicks off at 10:50 local time, with the Tissot Sprint scheduled for the afternoon. The title race is on a knife‑edge — and after a Friday like this, anything is possible.
