Marco Bezzecchi dominated Friday afternoon’s MotoGP Practice session at Phillip Island, setting the fastest lap of the 2026 Australian Grand Prix weekend despite an eventful session that included a crash and two red flags.
After finishing fourth in the morning’s FP1 session, the factory Aprilia rider improved significantly to record a 1:26.775, continuing the strong form he demonstrated with victory at the previous round in Indonesia.
Raúl Fernández finished second on the Trackhouse Aprilia, just 0.072 seconds behind Bezzecchi, while Marc Márquez secured third place as the fastest Ducati rider, 0.126 seconds off the pace.
The session featured several incidents and an extremely competitive classification, with the top five separated by just over a quarter of a second.
Bezzecchi Crashes Following Contact with Álex Márquez
Bezzecchi’s afternoon did not get off to an ideal start.
Less than ten minutes into the session, the Italian was involved in an unusual incident approaching Turn 4, the Miller Hairpin.
Bezzecchi made contact with the rear of Álex Márquez’s Gresini Ducati, causing significant damage to the front fairing of his Aprilia RS-GP.
The collision scattered debris across the circuit, while Bezzecchi ran onto the grass, lost control of his motorcycle and fell at relatively low speed.
Race direction immediately displayed the red flag to allow marshals to clear the debris.
Fortunately, neither rider suffered any injuries, and the FIM stewards reviewed the incident without imposing further penalties.
Bezzecchi returned to the pits before resuming the session on his second motorcycle.
Wallaby Causes Second Red Flag at Phillip Island
The interruption was followed by another unexpected incident.
With just over 40 minutes remaining, Practice was stopped again after a wallaby appeared near the racing surface.
The animal, native to Australia, had moved dangerously close to the area being used by the MotoGP riders.
Marshals intervened to clear the circuit and allow the session to resume safely.
The incident highlighted one of Phillip Island’s distinctive characteristics, where local wildlife has occasionally disrupted racing activities over the years.
Aprilia Dominates the Closing Stages with Four Bikes in the Top Five
Once the session resumed, Bezzecchi quickly demonstrated that he had the pace to challenge for the leading positions.
Running on previously used tyres, the Italian temporarily moved to the top of the timesheets with a lap of 1:27.374.
The final 20 minutes brought a series of changes as riders began their qualifying simulations and switched to soft rear tyres.
Pedro Acosta briefly put KTM ahead with a 1:27.208 before Álex Márquez improved on that benchmark.
Marc Márquez then became the first rider to break the 1:27 barrier, recording a 1:26.901 that appeared strong enough to secure the fastest time.
However, Aprilia responded in the closing minutes.
Raúl Fernández moved ahead of the Ducati rider before Bezzecchi delivered the decisive lap of 1:26.775.
The Italian secured the fastest time of the day, confirming the RS-GP’s impressive potential around the Australian circuit.
Márquez Third, Martín Fifth as Championship Battle Intensifies
Marc Márquez finished third behind Bezzecchi and Fernández, securing direct qualification for Q2.
The factory Ducati rider, who had topped the morning FP1 session, ended Practice just 0.126 seconds behind Bezzecchi.
It was an encouraging result, particularly considering the difficulties experienced by several other Ducati riders.
Ai Ogura claimed fourth place on the second Trackhouse Aprilia, matching Márquez’s lap time exactly.
The Japanese rider finished ahead of championship leader Jorge Martín, who completed the session fifth, 0.255 seconds behind his Aprilia teammate Bezzecchi.
Martín arrived in Australia holding a narrow two-point advantage over Marc Márquez in the championship standings.
Although he finished behind his title rival on Friday, Aprilia’s overall competitiveness provides encouraging signs ahead of qualifying and the races.
Álex Márquez Sixth as Bastianini and Acosta Reach Q2
Álex Márquez secured sixth place despite suffering another crash in the closing stages, again at Turn 4.
The Gresini Ducati rider had already set a time sufficient to qualify directly for Q2.
Enea Bastianini finished seventh as the leading KTM rider, ahead of Pedro Acosta on the factory RC16.
Acosta completed the session eighth after briefly leading during the qualifying simulations.
Diogo Moreira impressed in ninth position aboard the LCR Honda.
Fabio Di Giannantonio completed the top ten, securing the final automatic place in the second qualifying session.
Bagnaia Struggles Again and Must Fight Through Q1
Francesco Bagnaia endured another difficult session at Phillip Island.
After finishing 18th in FP1, the factory Ducati rider was unable to find the improvement required to reach the top ten.
The Italian ended Practice in 14th position with a lap of 1:27.727, leaving him 0.952 seconds behind Bezzecchi.
As a result, Bagnaia will have to compete in Q1 on Saturday morning.
He must finish among the two fastest riders in the opening qualifying session to progress to Q2 and fight for a place towards the front of the grid.
Fabio Quartararo also struggled, finishing 15th on his Yamaha, while Jack Miller ended the session 12th after another cras