MotoGP Australia Practice: Two Red Flags, Then Aprilia Responds to Marquez

The MotoGP Pre-Qualifying session for the 2026 Australian Grand Prix ended with Marco Bezzecchi at the top of the timesheets. The rider from Rimini clocked a best lap of 1'26"775, beating Raul Fernandez's Aprilia by 72 thousandths of a second. Marc Marquez set the third-fastest time, 126 thousandths off Bez's pace. Ai Ogura matched the Ducati rider's time, while Jorge Martin rounded out the top five. Four RS-GP26s occupied the first five places, with Marquez surrounded by Aprilia riders. The reigning champion had finished FP1 at the top and is in excellent form at Phillip Island.

Luca Marini completed just two laps in FP1 and sat out the afternoon session on the medical team's advice, as he was not fit to get back on his bike. Honda HRC team principal Alberto Puig spoke about him on Sky Sport MotoGP: "He has a virus and was very tired. He did two laps and had no strength in his hands. If you're not well at this track, it's very dangerous, so we decided it was better to stop. The doctor will assess him again tomorrow to see how he is. Joan Mir? We spoke to him yesterday; he has made great progress, and the intention is for him to go to Sepang". That means neither of the factory team's RC213Vs was on track, as Marini is the only Honda HRC rider in Australia. It remains to be seen how he will feel on Saturday and whether he will be able to race or have to withdraw.

Less than 10 minutes into Pre-Qualifying, the red flag was shown due to "track conditions". Marco Bezzecchi crashed between Turns 4 and 5 after making contact with Alex Marquez just before the braking zone for Turn 4: the Aprilia rider ran into the back of the Spaniard, and pieces of his RS-GP26's fairing flew off. The stewards also investigated the incident but decided not to take any action.

At 42'34" remaining, another red flag was shown for "track conditions", this time because a wallaby was spotted in the run-off area. Fortunately, the marsupial left of its own accord.

Alex Marquez also crashed towards the end of the session, but still managed to secure sixth place and qualify directly for Q2. Enea Bastianini also made it through, after struggling in FP1 before producing a late charge in the MotoGP Pre-Qualifying session at Phillip Island. The rider from Rimini finished ahead of Pedro Acosta's KTM. Rookie Diogo Moreira (Honda LCR) and Fabio Di Giannantonio (Ducati VR46) completed the top 10 and also advanced to Q2.

Pecco Bagnaia, who had already struggled in the first free practice session, failed to make it through, finishing no higher than 14th in Practice.

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