MotoGP: Phillip Island’s final farewell washed out

What should have been an emotional farewell to Phillip Island as the home of the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix ended in disappointment on Sunday when relentless rain and poor visibility forced organisers to cancel all three Grands Prix, denying thousands of fans one final day of racing at the iconic Victorian circuit.

Heavy rain throughout Sunday morning brought the programme to a standstill, with poor visibility preventing the medical helicopter from operating safely. After cancelling the MotoGP warm-up and both the Moto3 and Moto2 races, organisers initially delayed the premier-class Grand Prix in the hope of improved conditions before finally admitting defeat shortly before 3.40pm.

Instead, riders completed a farewell lap behind the safety car, giving the rain-soaked crowd one last opportunity to see their heroes circulate the circuit that has hosted the Australian Grand Prix since 1997, before the event moves to the streets of Adelaide in 2027.

Aussie Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha) was predictably entertaining during the farewell parade, treating fans to stand-up wheelies, burnouts and even an impressive stoppie despite the treacherous conditions.

While Sunday failed to deliver the racing spectacle everyone had hoped for, Saturday’s Sprint provided plenty of drama, with reigning world champion Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) snatching the championship lead from Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing) after a thrilling battle between the two title rivals ended with the Aprilia rider crashing heavily at Turn 8.

Martin has since been diagnosed with a fracture to his right forearm. However, rather than return to Spain for treatment, the Aprilia rider will remain in the region, raising hopes he’ll be fit to contest next weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix and keep his championship hopes alive.

Starting from pole position, Marquez grabbed the holeshot, but Martin was immediately on the attack, moving from fourth on the grid to second on the opening lap. What followed was a spectacular exchange of overtakes as the two Spaniards traded the lead several times, with neither prepared to give the other an inch.

Martin briefly took control at Turn 10 on lap three, but the lead continued to change hands until lap eight, when the Aprilia rider clipped the inside kerb at Turn 7, unsettling his machine before losing the front at Turn 8 and sliding heavily into the gravel.

With his championship rival out of contention, Marquez went on to claim his ninth Sprint victory of the season ahead of younger brother Alex Marquez (Gresini Ducati) and Fabio Di Giannantonio (VR46 Ducati).

Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) recovered from a disastrous opening lap to finish fourth ahead of Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM), while Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM) finished sixth after Ai Ogura (Trackhouse Aprilia) received an eight-second tyre-pressure penalty.

The result also promoted Miller to seventh, giving the Queenslander three championship points in his final MotoGP appearance at Phillip Island.

Miller had given the home crowd plenty to celebrate earlier on Saturday, progressing through Q1 before qualifying an impressive fifth on his Yamaha, just one position behind championship leader Martin.

But it was Marquez who stole the qualifying headlines, recovering from a crash at Miller Corner on his opening Q2 flying lap to return aboard his second Ducati and produce a stunning 1m34.203s lap, securing pole by a remarkable 1.494 seconds over his brother Alex. The other rider to progress through Q1, Johann Zarco (LCR Honda), completed the front row.

Miller, who was preparing to farewell MotoGP in a special green-and-gold Australian livery before moving to World Superbikes in 2027, was understandably disappointed by Sunday’s cancellation.

“Obviously, it’s not the way I wanted to end my home Grand Prix after such a strong weekend,” Miller said. “But I want to say a massive thank you to all the fans who came out, stood in the rain all day and supported us, only for there to be no racing.”

The cancellation was equally disappointing for Australia’s two other Grand Prix representatives, with Joel Kelso (GRYD Racing) having qualified third for Moto3, just 0.067 seconds behind Indonesian pole-sitter Veda Pratama (Honda Team Asia).

Meanwhile, defending Australian Moto2 winner Senna Agius (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) had qualified seventh despite a high-speed crash ending his final qualifying run, denying him the opportunity to fight for back-to-back home victories.

What it does mean, however, is that the talented young Aussie will go down in history as the last-ever Moto2 Grand Prix winner at Phillip Island, alongside Raul Fernandez (MotoGP) and Jose Antonio Rueda (Moto3), who claimed their respective victories in 2025.

The circuit’s MotoGP records will also remain with Fabio Quartararo (Monster Yamaha), whose 1m26.465s is the all-time lap record; Marc Marquez, who holds the fastest race lap at 1m27.765s; and Enea Bastianini (Tech3 KTM), who recorded a top speed of 358.8km/h. Aussie Joel Kelso also retains the Moto3 all-time lap record of 1m34.056s.

With no championship points awarded on Sunday, Marquez (365 points) leaves Phillip Island holding a 10-point advantage over Martin (355), with factory Aprilia rider Marco Bezzecchi (315) trailing by 50 points in third. Miller remains in 19th with 31 points.

The series now heads to Malaysia for Round 19, which kicks off on Friday morning.