Local favorite Jack Miller led the timesheets in opening practice at the Australian MotoGP on Friday, with Alex Marquez following closely in second as he pushes to secure the world championship runner-up position behind his injured brother Marc.
Riding for Yamaha-Pramac, Miller posted a late, lightning-fast lap of 1 minute 28.281 seconds around Phillip Island’s waterfront circuit under breezy but dry conditions. That effort put him just 0.036 seconds ahead of Marquez on his Ducati-Gresini, while KTM’s Pedro Acosta claimed third place and recent Indonesia MotoGP winner rookie Fermin Aldeguer came in fourth.
Alex Marquez currently holds an 88-point lead over two-time world champion Francesco Bagnaia in the fight for second place in the championship, with four rounds remaining. He can secure the position by ending the weekend 111 points clear of his Italian Ducati rival. Bagnaia, who had won the Japan GP and sprint races the previous week, failed to score in Indonesia, adding pressure to his Australian campaign.
Bagnaia struggled early in Australia, returning to the pits after one flying lap while signaling that his bike was unstable. He eventually finished seventh, just 0.275 seconds behind Miller.
Marc Marquez, the dominant world champion and last year’s Phillip Island winner, is absent this weekend after shoulder surgery. Another absentee is 2024 polesitter Jorge Martin, still recovering from a fractured collarbone sustained in Japan.
Italy’s Marco Bezzecchi, who had won the Indonesia sprint before colliding with Marc Marquez in the grand prix, finished sixth and faces a double long lap penalty on Sunday for the incident.
Ducati-VR46 rider Franco Morbidelli was the first rider to crash this weekend, losing control at turn one, while Honda’s Joan Mir ended his session early due to thick smoke coming from his exhaust.
The second practice session, which determines the top ten riders who move directly into Saturday’s second qualifying round, is scheduled for 3:00 pm. Qualifying will set the grid for both the sprint race on Saturday and the main GP on Sunday, with a maximum of 37 points available.
