Márquez third for Ducati on Friday at Phillip Island as Bagnaia must tackle Q1
Marc Márquez closed the first day of the Australian Grand Prix third, 0.126s off the top, while Ducati Lenovo teammate Francesco Bagnaia finished fourteenth and faces Q1.
- 0.126s
- 3rd
- 14th
- 13
What Happened
The Ducati Lenovo Team completed the first day of action for the Grand Prix of Australia at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit. Marc Márquez finished Practice in third position, 0.126s off the top spot, while Francesco Bagnaia, fourteenth, will have to tackle Q1. Márquez had been the fastest rider in FP1 and consistently remained among the top positions during Practice, becoming the first rider to break the 1'27s barrier with less than nine minutes remaining. Bagnaia moved closer to the top ten in the closing stages of the afternoon session, eventually wrapping up Practice in fourteenth position.
0.126s
He ended Friday third overall after also setting the pace in FP1.
- 3rd in Practice, 0.126s off the top; fastest rider in FP1
- 14th in Practice; will have to tackle Q1
Free Practice 2
Q1
Q2
The eighteenth Sprint of the season, contested over 13 laps
“The day went more or less as expected. We kept improving throughout the sessions, the feeling is now very good and I'm able to ride the way I like. Our opponents are very competitive at this track, especially through the fast corners, but we're not too far away and we'll try to close the gap further. The goal for tomorrow's qualifying is the front row, but I know it won't be easy. We'll continue to work hard, as usual. It'll be important to adapt to the sudden weather changes, which are typical here at Phillip Island, while taking every possible scenario into consideration.”
“We struggled a bit. I can't make the bike turn the way I'd like or carry enough speed, because I end up running wide when I try. Still, we made some steps forward throughout the day, and I must say that, in the end, I was the one who wasn't able to put everything together during the time attack, which cost me a couple of tenths. Now we have to see how the next two days unfold. We'll have to take the possibility of rain into consideration. While this wouldn't be the best scenario, especially here at Phillip Island, it would still shuffle the cards a bit.”
Previously from Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A.
Márquez arrives at Phillip Island after winning the Mandalika Sprint, a result that moved him back to the top of the MotoGP championship. In the Indonesia MotoGP that followed, he finished sixth while Ducati Lenovo teammate Bagnaia crashed out on lap six, leaving Márquez two points off the championship lead.
- Márquez wins Mandalika Sprint for Ducati and retakes the MotoGP championship lead
- Márquez sixth in Indonesia MotoGP as Bagnaia crashes out; Ducati second in both standings
Background drawn from MotorClaw's earlier coverage of Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A.'s official releases.
Why this matters
Friday's order sets the starting point for the rest of the Australian Grand Prix weekend, with qualifying and the 13-lap Sprint following on Saturday. Márquez sits close enough to the front to target the front row, while Bagnaia's fourteenth place sends him into Q1, an extra session he must survive to reach Q2. Both riders flag Phillip Island's sudden weather changes as a factor that could reshuffle the order.
Terms in This Story
- FP1
- The first free practice session of a race weekend, where riders establish a baseline setup and lap times.
- Q1
- The first part of qualifying; riders who do not already hold a place in Q2 must race through it to keep their chances of a strong grid position.
- Sprint
- A shorter race held on the Saturday of a Grand Prix weekend, run separately from Sunday's main race.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.