Marc Marquez believes the track conditions at Phillip Island were “acceptable” for racing on Sunday, suggesting the Australian Grand Prix could have gone safely ahead if the medical helicopter had been able to fly.
Sunday’s MotoGP race was called off after several delays as heavy rain reduced visibility and prevented the medical helicopter from operating. While MotoGP can rely on a backup ambulance at most circuits in case of major accidents, the distance between Phillip Island and mainland Melbourne meant that a helicopter was required to ensure any injured rider could be transferred swiftly to the designated hospital.
Phillip Island saw heavy rain and high-speed winds on Sunday, as forecast, after Friday and Saturday's running had been completed without any disruptions.
However, Marquez said the weather had not made the circuit itself unsafe, having assessed the conditions during two demonstration laps behind the safety car after the race was cancelled.
“Of course, I feel sad for all the fans at Phillip Island, because Phillip Island didn’t deserve its last race having been cancelled,” he said on the official MotoGP broadcast.
“The conditions were acceptable, but unluckily the medical helicopter was not ready to fly, so, [the cancellation] was for safety reasons.
“I’m very sorry for all of you (the fans). We were ready as riders to race, but today we couldn’t. Thank you for supporting MotoGP.”
Marc Marquez, Ducati Team
Photo by: William West / AFP via Getty Images
The cancellation brings Phillip Island’s tenure as a MotoGP venue to a premature end, with the popular 4.4km circuit set to be replaced by a revamped urban circuit in Adelaide next year.
“I have very good memories,” Marquez said. “Yesterday’s pole position was a very good lap, the 2024 victory in the main race. So, Phillip Island will always remain one of my favourite circuits.”
Marquez seized the lead of the championship in Saturday’s sprint following an epic battle with Jorge Martin, who later crashed out on lap 8.
The Aprilia rider broke his arm in the accident and was declared unfit to race, meaning Marquez would have almost certainly extended his points lead on Sunday if the grand prix hadn’t been cancelled.
Ducati team manager Davide Tardozzi admitted that the wet-weather conditions would have favoured Marquez, who claimed pole position by 1.5s after overnight showers on Saturday, but backed the decision to cancel the race on safety grounds.
“For Ducati, it's obvious that we missed an opportunity,” he said.
"In these conditions, Marc was the favourite, but safety is paramount. There is no helicopter and the conditions are not good.
"Marc knew he could win and score 25 points, but safety comes first, I insist.
“The first thing we are always thinking about at Ducati is rider safety. And that's ahead of everything; sport, business and whatever. Personally, I already lost the career of one rider here with [Carl] Fogarty, so I don't want to see something else again.
“And if the decision is that for safety we have to quit, we have to quit again. I think we miss an opportunity, but safety comes ahead of sport.”
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