MotoGP Australia, FP1 standings: Marquez strikes, Fernandez leads the Aprilias

The reigning champion’s Desmosedici leads the way in the opening session at Phillip Island, with Bezzecchi and Martin further back. A tough situation for Marini.

Marc Marquez topped FP1 at the Australian MotoGP. The Ducati Lenovo rider snatched the fastest time at the end of the session: 1'27"985, 48 thousandths of a second quicker than Raul Fernandez’s Aprilia, despite the Spaniard being hampered by injury. Jack Miller set the third-fastest time on the Prima Pramac team’s Yamaha.

Less than 10 minutes into the session, Iker Lecuona crashed at Turn 6. The Superbike rider, called up to replace the injured Fermin Aldeguer in the BK8 Gresini team, also collided with the barriers, but fortunately escaped without physical injury. Raul Fernandez also crashed at the same spot. He arrived at Phillip Island already injured, with two hairline fractures in two fingers on his right hand. The SuperFile Trackhouse rider appeared to be in pain after tumbling into the gravel, but later returned to the track.

Between the two crashes, Brad Binder’s KTM also began spewing white smoke, forcing him to pull over at the side of the track. It is not the first time an RC16 has suffered technical problems during the 2026 MotoGP season.

With around four minutes remaining, Jack Miller also slid off at Turn 1. The Prima Pramac Yamaha rider had just set the fastest time on fresh tyres when he crashed, damaging his M1 in the gravel.

Luca Marini completed very few laps because a health problem is limiting him and preventing him from riding his Honda RC213V normally. The HRC team said that after two laps, Valentino Rossi’s brother was feeling quite weak and drained, so they decided to let him rest during FP1. We will see whether he is in slightly better shape for the pre-qualifying session.

Behind the Marquez-Fernandez-Miller trio was Marco Bezzecchi, 293 thousandths of a second off Marc’s Ducati. Alex completed the top five, ahead of Pedro Acosta’s KTM and Jorge Martin’s Aprilia. Martin leads the overall standings in the 2026 MotoGP World Championship. Ai Ogura, Fabio Quartararo and Fabio Di Giannantonio also made the top 10.

Aside from Marini, who is struggling with health issues, other Italian riders also had a tough time in the first free practice session: Enea Bastianini was only 14th on the Tech3 team’s KTM, while Pecco Bagnaia was as low as 18th on his factory Ducati, just ahead of Franco Morbidelli’s VR46 bike.

In pre-qualifying, it will be crucial to finish in the top 10 and secure a place in Q2. Rain is expected at Phillip Island on Saturday and Sunday, so starting as far up the grid as possible is the best option, especially in those conditions.

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