MotoGP

Phillip Island plays host to the 18th round of the 2022 MotoGP season. Here's how and when you can watch the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, October 16.

Prior to the summer break, the 2022 MotoGP title looked like it was Fabio Quartararo’s to lose. OPINION: Honda is in the midst of a second winless season in the space of three years. OPINION: Marc Marquez has completed the first three races of his MotoGP comeback from a fourth major operation on his right arm and has already achieved more points than Honda scored in his absence.

Phillip Island should be Yamaha's strongest track in the 2022 MotoGP championship run-in. But Ducati can now match it anywhere.

It’s one of the worst tracks for it all year. It’s going to be a great challenge. On the flip side, Ducati has clearly stepped up its game since the championship’s last visit to Phillip Island in 2019. Gresini Ducati’s Fabio Di Giannantonio took a first pole at Mugello before Bagnaia won the race. Conversely, the track should punish the Ducati of Quartararo’s title rival Pecco Bagnaia. On paper, Phillip Island should suit Yamaha better than any other circuit on the calendar, with its long and flowing beds where corner speed is key: something that the inline four Yamaha should in theory be able to do better than any other machine on the grid (with the possible exception of Suzuki’s GSX-RR), and has in fact been able to do in recent years.

Race results from the 2022 Australian Moto3 Grand Prix at Phillip Island.

(Honda) (KTM) (CFMOTO) (Husqvarna) (GASGAS) Red Bull KTM Tech3

Alex Rins has seized victory in an Animoca Brands Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix which will go down as one of the all-time great MotoGP™ races.

Marini was therefore sixth, ahead of Martin and Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing), while Aleix Espargaro faded to ninth and Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) rounded out the top 10. Then Bagnaia hit the front when he passed Rins at Doohan Corner on Lap 15, and Marquez was into second with a move on the Suzuki at Miller Corner. Marquez passed Rins for second at Southern Loop on the penultimate lap but the Suzuki rider hit back straight away at Stoner Corner, and that was how they commenced Lap 27 of 27. However, Rins was all the way back to fourth on Lap 21 when Bagnaia and Bezzecchi got him at Southern Loop, and Marquez at Miller Corner. Meanwhile, after a battle over fourth with Martin, Marquez was back into third by overtaking Bezzecchi at Miller Corner on Lap 25, and was still within striking distance of Bagnaia too. Miller overtook Quartararo for fifth and Espargaro for fourth on Lap 3, then saw off the latter when he tried to reclaim that position at Southern Loop (Turn 2) on Lap 4. Quartararo had not long got himself back into the points-paying positions when disaster struck, the Frenchman tucking the front of his YZR-M1 at Southern Loop and crashing out of the contest on Lap 11. Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) got the holeshot from pole position and Marquez took up second from the same position on the middle of the front row. On the other factory Ducati, Bagnaia made an unsuccessful attempt to re-pass Rins at Doohan Corner on Lap 10, by which time they had caught Martin and Marc Marquez. Meanwhile, Rins, who qualified 10th, was also on the rise and moved into the top five when he went under Espargaro at Southern Loop on Lap 6. Bagnaia, who had also qualified on the front row, did not make a good start but was back up to third after he followed Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) past Quartararo and then himself passed Espargaro. Still, it could have been even worse for the Frenchman considering Bagnaia led a topsy-turvy encounter at the start of the final lap only to be passed by both Rins and Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team), the latter of whom scored a 100th MotoGP™ podium by finishing second at Phillip Island.

105 points – that's the turnaround which Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo team) has pulled off relative to Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) ...

Intriguingly, however, that means Quartararo’s hopes are not in his own hands – even if he wins in Malaysia and Valencia, he may not win the Championship given that the difference between first and second place in either Grand Prix is five points. With just two points separating Quartararo and Bagnaia when they touched down in Australia, there was always a chance that the Ducati rider would overtake the Yamaha pilot in the title race. Four riders remain a mathematical chance of lifting the trophy three weeks from now at Valencia, so read on for the full Championship picture.

Yamaha's Fabio Quartararo admits he is facing the “toughest job of my career” to win the 2022 MotoGP world title after crashing out of the Australian Grand ...

Prior to the summer break, the 2022 MotoGP title looked like it was Fabio Quartararo’s to lose. OPINION: Honda is in the midst of a second winless season in the space of three years. OPINION: Marc Marquez has completed the first three races of his MotoGP comeback from a fourth major operation on his right arm and has already achieved more points than Honda scored in his absence.

Ducati's Francesco Bagnaia says he “won't think about” the fact he can win the 2022 MotoGP title next week in Malaysia following his Australian Grand Prix ...

Prior to the summer break, the 2022 MotoGP title looked like it was Fabio Quartararo’s to lose. OPINION: Honda is in the midst of a second winless season in the space of three years. OPINION: Marc Marquez has completed the first three races of his MotoGP comeback from a fourth major operation on his right arm and has already achieved more points than Honda scored in his absence.