PHILLIP ISLAND — Marc Marquez delivered a commanding performance in wet conditions at Phillip Island to secure pole position for the Australian Grand Prix, recovering swiftly from an early crash in Qualifying 2.
Early Fall and Pit Return
Having set the pace in wet final practice, Marquez lost the front end at Turn 4 (the Miller hairpin) on his opening flying lap as rain began to fall again over the drying asphalt.
Left without a timed lap, the Ducati rider returned to the paddock via the service roads and quickly switched to his spare bike in the pit lane.
Qualifying Classification
Once back on track, Marquez set an unbeatable benchmark of 1:34.203. The time secured him pole position by a margin of 1.493 seconds over his younger brother Alex Marquez, completing a family one-two for Ducati. Johann Zarco (LCR Honda) completed the front row in third after advancing through Q1.
Championship leader Jorge Martin, who holds a two-point advantage over Marc Marquez in the standings, salvaged fourth place as the top Aprilia. Joining him on the second row are home favorite Jack Miller (Pramac Yamaha) in fifth and Trackhouse Aprilia’s Raul Fernandez in sixth.
Further back, Pedro Acosta (KTM) qualified seventh, followed by Fabio Di Giannantonio and Marco Bezzecchi, who struggled in the wet after leading Friday’s dry practice session.
Outlook for the Weekend
Unsettled weather remains forecast for both the Saturday Sprint and Sunday’s main race. Meanwhile, HRC will be without representation for the remainder of the event after Luca Marini was declared unfit due to illness.