Jorge
Jorge

2023 Australian MotoGP: Friday practice - LIVE UPDATES

Reigning MotoGP champion Francesco Bagnaia 💯takes an 18-point lead over Jorge Martin into the Australian Grand Prix, after the Pramac Ducati rider’s costly fall from the lead at Mandalika last weekend.

Marco Bezzecchi's Indonesian heroics, a week after breaking his (riౠght) collarbone, means the VR46 rider has closed to 45 points from Martin. Team-mate Luca Marini, who took a debut pole position at Mandalika, also expects the condition of his broken (left) collarbone to be slightly improved.

After backing out of a planned comeba🐽ck in Indonesia due to pain from his recently fractured ribs, Alex Marquez will try again at Phillip Island - meaning all 22 riders could line up for the Saturday Sprint for the first time since the Portimao season opener.

Nonetheless, last year's Phillip Island winner Alex Rins is still recovering from leg fractures and E♏nea Bastian൩ini from hand and ankle injuries.

Marc Marquez took his only podium of the season in ไAust♓ralia last year.

While decent weather is forecast for Friday and Saturday, wind gusts📖 reaching as 🐟high as 80km/h are currently predicted for Sunday, prompting speculation of possible schedule changes.

06:03
Friday practice is finished as Binder reigns supreme

Binder tops Practice 2 ahead of Miller, Vinales, Martin and P. Espa🧔rgaro. 

06:01

Bagnaia will need to go through Q1. He's just 💞missed out 𒉰on the top ten. 

05:58

Binder goes top with a sub 1m 28🐠s lap. Stunning pace from the KTM man. 

05:51

Ba⛎gnaia is really struggling. He's gone quicker but is only 14th. Sector two and three is where the Ita𒉰lian is losing huge time to Martin. 

05:48

Martin goes top! S𒈔tunning lap from the title contender. Bagnaia is currently 19th. 

05:47

It's a 𓂃factory Aprilia 1-2 as Vinales goes quickest for the first time i🍌n Practice 2.

05:44

And he does just that. Espargaro has gon꧃e top by over four tenths and sets the first sub 1m 29s lap of the weekend. 

05:44

Aleix Espargaro is ab♋out to destory Zarco's time...

05:39

It's not Joahhn Zarc🅺o who has gone quickest for Pram𒆙ac Ducati. 

05:38

Top spot has finally cꦿhanged hands as Fabio Di Giannantonio has gone quickest by just -0.006s of a second. 

05:35

Fabio Quartararo is also showing good speed with the soft rear as he moves up to🎐 third s꧑pot. 

05:25

Vinales has a new soft rear tyre fitted to his 🌞factory Aprilia bike. 

05:25

Some very fa♐st laps are comin💛g in with just under 40 minutes remaining as Maverick Vinales goes second. 

05:21
Marquez is down for the 25th time this season

Crash for Marc Marquez at turn ten. The Honda rider lost the front-end after neary s✨av𝐆ing it. 

05:17

Binder is still fastest after improving his time once again, but it𝓡's not Marco Bezzecchi that is second. 

05:09

The KTM🎶's are showing very good pace at the start of Practic𝐆e 2 as Binder leads the way from Pol Espargaro and Jack Miller.

05:00

Good morning and welcome back to Frꦕiday practice at the Australian MotoGP. Practi♒ce 2 is underway at Phillip Island. 

04:22

For those following Moto2 Practice 2, the reason for the red flags is to clear some larg💯e geese from the track at Turn 6!

01:31

FP1 ends with Jorge Martin fastest by 0.720s from Augusto Fernandez wit꧙h Maverick Vinales i☂n third.

01:30

Martin improves again, wಞhile Augusto Fernandez im♍presses again by moving into second but is 0.720s behind the Pramac Ducati.

01:30

(The res💙t of the fi⛎eld are still on medium rear tyres)