MotoGP Australian Grand Prix 2026: Phillip Island farewell

The 2026 Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix runs from Friday 23 to Sunday 25 October 2026 at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit in Victoria. It is round 18 of the 22-round 2026 MotoGP World Championship. The Tissot Sprint was held on Saturday 24 October at 3pm local time (AEDT) and the Grand Prix starts on Sunday 25 October at 2pm AEDT. Sources: Crash.net, Speedcafe.

Sunday's race starts at 2pm AEDT, which is 3am GMT on Sunday 25 October in the UK. Careful: British clocks go back one hour that same night (2am BST becomes 1am GMT), so the race is at 3am on the new winter time. The Saturday Sprint was at 5am BST. Source: Crash.net start times; time-zone conversion by our editors.

Because Australia is ahead of the US, the Sunday race at 2pm AEDT falls on Saturday evening 24 October in America: 11pm Eastern (EDT) and 8pm Pacific (PDT). US clocks only change on 1 November, so these times use daylight time. The Sprint was at midnight Eastern overnight Friday into Saturday (9pm Pacific on Friday). Conversion by our editors from the official 2pm AEDT start (Speedcafe, Crash.net).

Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo) won the 13-lap Sprint on Saturday 24 October by 0.323s from his brother Alex Marquez (Gresini Ducati), with Fabio Di Giannantonio (VR46 Ducati) third for an all-Ducati podium. Marco Bezzecchi was fourth, Pedro Acosta fifth, Ai Ogura sixth, Brad Binder seventh and Jack Miller eighth. It was Marquez's ninth Sprint win of 2026. Sources: Crash.net results, Crash.net report.

Marc Marquez took pole in wet qualifying on Saturday morning, despite crashing on his first flying lap in Q2. He jumped on his spare bike and went from last to first, about 1.5 seconds clear of Alex Marquez, with Johann Zarco completing the front row. Jorge Martin qualified fourth, Jack Miller fifth, Pedro Acosta seventh, Fabio Di Giannantonio eighth and Marco Bezzecchi ninth. Qualifying sets the grid for both the Sprint and Sunday's race. Sources: Crash.net, The Race, Speedcafe.

Martin (Aprilia) fought Marquez for the lead in the Sprint, the pair swapping positions several times, then lost the front at high speed at the Hayshed (Turn 8) on lap 8 of 13 and went through the gravel. He was stretchered away and taken to the medical centre for checks. At the time of writing no diagnosis or fitness decision for Sunday had been published. Sources: Crash.net, Speedcafe, The Race.

After the Phillip Island Sprint: 1. Marc Marquez 365 points, 2. Jorge Martin 355 (-10), 3. Marco Bezzecchi 315 (-50), 4. Pedro Acosta 263, 5. Ai Ogura 263, 6. Fabio Di Giannantonio 252, 7. Raul Fernandez 236. Marquez arrived in Australia two points behind Martin (353 to 355) and left Saturday 10 points ahead. Source: Crash.net standings.

After the Sprint, 173 points remain available (Sunday's Grand Prix plus four full weekends). Seven riders are still mathematically in contention: Marc Marquez, Jorge Martin, Marco Bezzecchi, Pedro Acosta, Ai Ogura, Fabio Di Giannantonio and Raul Fernandez. Realistically it is a Marquez vs Martin fight, with Bezzecchi 50 points back as the outsider. Alex Marquez is officially out of the running. Source: Crash.net.

Four rounds remain after Phillip Island: Malaysia at Sepang (30 October to 1 November), Qatar at Lusail (6-8 November, moved from April because of the situation in the Middle East), Portugal at Portimao (20-22 November) and the Valencia finale (27-29 November). Sources: MotoGP.com calendar, Gulf Times.

TNT Sports shows every session of the 2026 Australian MotoGP live in the UK, with streaming through HBO Max (TNT Sports plans from 27.99 pounds a month according to Crash.net). The official MotoGP VideoPass is the other streaming option. Sources: Crash.net, RTR Sports.

Fox Sports holds MotoGP rights in the US in 2026, with races on FS1 or FS2 and streaming on the Fox Sports app. Check the Fox Sports schedule for the exact channel of the Phillip Island race, which falls on Saturday evening US time. Sources: Awful Announcing, RTR Sports.

In Australia, Foxtel's Fox Sports channels broadcast every practice, qualifying, Sprint and Grand Prix live, and Kayo Sports streams all sessions. The official Australian MotoGP site also lists the MotoGP VideoPass. We could not confirm a free-to-air broadcast of the 2026 race on Network 10 from a current source. Sources: MotoGP.com.au, RTR Sports.

Yes. The 2026 event is the last Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island. From 2027 the race moves to a new street circuit in Adelaide, South Australia: about 4.195 km and 18 corners, based on the old F1 Adelaide layout, under a deal running to 2032. It will be the first street circuit in MotoGP history, with the first event planned for November 2027. Source: MotoGP.com (announcement of 19 February 2026).

Marc Marquez has won four MotoGP races at Phillip Island (2015, 2017, 2019 and 2024) and is chasing a fifth on Sunday. His 2024 win came after a poor start, beating Jorge Martin. He described this farewell weekend as emotional. Sources: NTN24, Crash.net.

Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse Aprilia) won the 2025 Australian Grand Prix on 19 October 2025, his first premier-class victory and Trackhouse's first win, 1.418s ahead of Fabio Di Giannantonio, with Marco Bezzecchi third after a long-lap penalty. Marc Marquez, already champion, was injured and absent. Sources: Al Jazeera, The Race.

Saturday showed how fast Phillip Island conditions change: qualifying was wet, then the Sprint ran on a dry track after the morning rain. We did not find a reliable race-day forecast for Sunday at the time of writing; check the Bureau of Meteorology before the start. In 2023, wind gusts forecast at up to 80 km/h forced organisers to rework the schedule and cancel the Sprint. Sources: Crash.net, The Race.