The Australian Grand Prix was cancelled after poor visibility prevented the medical helicopter from operating between Phillip Island and mainland Melbourne. But while the grand prix itself was washed out, Saturday’s sprint still counted for points and had a major impact on the title battle.
The weekend also reinforced several patterns that have emerged throughout the season at Aprilia and Ducati, making the sprint result both expected and surprising in equal measure.
Here are Motorsport.com’s winners and losers from the Australian GP. For the avoidance of doubt, this assessment takes the entire weekend into consideration rather than focusing solely on the impact of Sunday’s cancellation.
Winner: Marc Marquez and Ducati
Marc Marquez, Ducati Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / Getty Images
Marc Marquez and Ducati have made a habit of thriving at circuits that don't naturally suit their strengths. Phillip Island’s fast-and-flowing layout should have made it another walkover for Aprilia, much like the last round at Mandalika.
But Marquez capitalised on the weather to snatch pole position by 1.5s and then fought hard in the sprint to claim his ninth Saturday win of 2026. Alex Marquez and Fabio di Giannantonio followed him in second and third, completing a podium lockout for Ducati.
But the significance of the result went beyond Ducati’s dominance. The biggest takeaway was that Marquez defeated his title rival Jorge Martin in a direct duel for victory. The two have rarely battled on equal terms this year, and Marquez knew that there was a lot more at stake than three extra points.
The reigning world champion had to bring his A-game on Saturday, but he executed everything to perfection, taking a decisive win while his rival ended on the ground.
Marquez might be lamenting the cancellation of Sunday’s race, having lost the opportunity to build a substantial lead in the standings. But his sprint success alone could end up being the moment where the championship swung in his favour.
Loser: Jorge Martin and Aprilia
Jorge Martin, Aprilia Racing Team, Marc Marquez, Ducati Team
Photo by: Paul Crock / AFP via Getty Images
This was another weekend Aprilia came away empty-handed despite having the fastest bike on the grid. Friday Practice suggested that the Noale factory was poised to dominate proceedings, but a wet qualifying threw a spanner in the works, leaving Marco Bezzecchi and Ai Ogura ninth and 12th on the sprint grid.
Jorge Martin, Aprilia’s best qualifier, did get off to a brilliant start from fourth on the grid to challenge Marquez for victory. But every time he passed the Ducati rider to take the lead, he made a mistake and dropped back to second.
This aggression backfired on lap 8 when he hit the gravel and retired from second place, clearing the way for Marquez to claim an unopposed win. The points loss from the incident alone would have been a significant blow to Martin’s championship hopes, but he was also unlucky to break a bone in his arm.
While the injury isn’t as bad as initially feared, and Martin will attempt to race at Sepang next week, his title hopes now hang by a thread.
Aprilia, meanwhile, had further reasons to rue the weekend. As if Martin’s fracture wasn’t bad enough, Raul Fernandez also aggravated his finger injury on Friday and was forced to retire early from the sprint. Bezzecchi’s poor qualifying also proved costly as he was arguably faster than both Marquez and Martin in race trim.
Winner: Jack Miller
Jack Miller, Pramac Racing
Photo by: Robert Cianflone / Getty Images
Jack Miller was understandably furious after the Australian GP was cancelled. As far as he was concerned, he missed a chance to race at Phillip Island for the final time as a MotoGP rider.
But, in a way, he still got an emotional farewell on home soil, even if the day didn’t quite unfold the way he would have imagined. When the riders headed out on track for the demo laps scheduled in lieu of the race, all eyes turned to Miller’s striking yellow-and-orange Yamaha.
The 31-year-old entertained the crowd with a wheelie down the start/finish straight, drawing cheers from thousands of drenched fans screaming as he threw his gloves and boots up in the air.
His on-track performance also made it a memorable weekend. He was quick at Phillip Island from the outset, setting the third-fastest time in FP1. He remained the fastest Yamaha in Practice and breezed through Q1 in wet conditions, before qualifying fifth on the grid. Later on Saturday, he scored his first points finish in a sprint race this year, finishing a solid seventh.
With Martin declared unfit for Sunday’s race, Miller would have lined up fourth on the grid, in what would have been his best starting position since the 2025 season opener in Thailand.
Loser: MotoGP fans
Track action
Photo by: Robert Cianflone / Getty Images
The outcome of the weekend was disappointing for tens of thousands of MotoGP fans who had flocked to the Phillip Island circuit, as well as millions more who had tuned in at awkward hours to watch a race that was ultimately cancelled.
Phillip Island had always been a favourite among motorcycle fans, and many had incurred significant expenses - accommodation on the island always comes at a premium - to witness its final MotoGP race.
To MotoGP’s credit, it did organise two demonstration laps to ensure fans still got to witness some track action after braving the weather. Likewise, the Australian Grand Prix announced full refunds to Sunday ticket holders and partial refunds to those who bought multi-day tickets, avoiding a repeat of Formula 1’s farcical 2021 Belgian GP.
Still, the experience would have left a sour taste for those who had high hopes from the last MotoGP race at Phillip Island. Many fans had left the track before the race was officially cancelled, recognising that the writing was on the wall.
Winner and loser: Johann Zarco
Johann Zarco, Team LCR Honda
Johann Zarco once again came to the fore in tricky wet conditions, demonstrating his experience on Saturday morning with a brilliant performance in qualifying.
After coming through Q1, he secured third place on the grid, beaten only by the Ducatis of Marc Marquez and Alex Marquez.
While the LCR rider would have been far less competitive in dry conditions, he could have scored a solid haul of sprint points had an electronics issue not forced him to retire on lap four.
Sunday offered another missed opportunity after the grand prix was cancelled. Only 15 months earlier, Zarco had claimed a shock victory in similarly wet conditions at the French Grand Prix.
While Zarco ultimately came away from the weekend without a single point on the board, his speed would have provided a psychological boost for Honda after both its factory riders were sidelined by illness.
Winner: MotoGP riders
MotoGP riders stand for the playing of the National Anthems
Photo by: Eric Alonso / Getty Images
With only 16 full-timers left fit to compete on Sunday (Iker Lecuona and Augusto Fernandez were stand-ins), calling the riders winners from the Australian GP might seem odd.
But several recent developments have brought them closer together, and at Phillip Island, they finally agreed to meet in person and discuss the potential risks associated with the Qatar Grand Prix. A riders’ union has never been more likely than it is now, at least in the past three to four years.
Make no mistake, the grid is still far from as united as it needs to be, and significant differences of opinion are inevitable. But there is also a growing realisation among the riders that they always get the short end of the stick in major decisions concerning their future, with both MotoGP and teams having their own vested interests,
The debate regarding the 2027 format, which features two qualifying sessions, showed riders that their own employers do not have their best interests at heart. And MotoGP’s decision to press ahead with the Qatar GP has acted as a catalyst in bringing them together.
Read Also:
Aprilia unsure whether Australian GP cancellation good or bad for the team
Marc Marquez: Track conditions were “acceptable” despite Australian GP cancellation