MOTOGP DAY 1 REPORT: FLAWLESS BEZZECCHI SETS TRACK RECORD AT PHILLIP ISLAND
FP1 – Jack Miller starts strong at home
Jack Miller gave the Australian fans something to cheer about by topping FP1 at a windy Phillip Island. The local hero, who scored a podium here back in 2019, waited until the very end of the session to set a flying lap that put him in first place.
Miller had been outside the top ten for most of the session but pulled it together right at the end, knocking Alex Marquez down to second. Marquez had a small moment with Miguel Oliveira at Turn 1 but managed to stay upright. Rookie Pedro Acosta made it three different manufacturers in the top three, just 0.135 seconds behind Miller.
Fresh off his first MotoGP win in Indonesia, Fermin Aldeguer was fourth, followed by Fabio Quartararo in fifth. Marco Bezzecchi led at different points but ended up sixth.
Francesco Bagnaia didn’t have an easy start, he came back to the pits after his out-lap, clearly unhappy with his Ducati. After changing bikes, he started to find some rhythm and finished seventh. Johann Zarco, Fabio Di Giannantonio, and Brad Binder completed the top ten.
Joan Mir took 12th but had a big mechanical issue that caused smoke to pour from his Honda near the end. Franco Morbidelli had a fast crash at Turn 1 but walked away safely and returned to the track, finishing 14th.
FP2 – Bezzecchi breaks the lap record
Marco Bezzecchi was unstoppable in FP2, setting a stunning 1:26.492 lap, smashing the previous record and ending Friday as the fastest rider. Aprilia also had a great session, with Raul Fernandez finishing second to make it an Aprilia 1–2, while Fabio Di Giannantonio took third as the best Ducati rider.
Bagnaia’s struggles continued early in the session as he returned to the pits shaking his head. Once he switched to his second bike, he looked more comfortable and climbed up to fifth after 15 minutes.
Bezzecchi and Acosta traded top times early on, until Di Giannantonio went quickest midway through. Acosta then had a small crash at Turn 4 but got back on track soon after.
Jack Miller, riding for the Prima Pramac Yamaha team, thrilled the home crowd by going up to second, then briefly into first. But Bezzecchi hit back hard, first with a 1:27.099, and then with a jaw-dropping 1:26.580, shattering the lap record.
Fabio Quartararo joined the party with the second-best time, while his Yamaha teammate Alex Rins was close behind. As the session came to an end, Bagnaia managed to sneak into the top ten with a strong lap, finishing eighth.
Bezzecchi wasn’t done yet, though. He went even faster with another record-breaking lap, 1:26.492, to end the day clearly ahead of everyone. Fernandez stayed second, Di Giannantonio third, Quartararo fourth, and Alex Marquez fifth.
Rins, Luca Marini, and stand-in rider Pol Espargaro rounded out the top eight, with Bagnaia ninth and Acosta just holding onto tenth.
That means Aldeguer, Binder, Miller, Mir, and 2023 winner Zarco will all have to fight through Q1 to reach the final qualifying session.
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