The Repsol Honda Team starts work in preparation for the race
The action on day one of the Australian Grand Prix was delayed until long after Moto3 FP1 was red-flagged seven minutes into the session. Stefano Nepa’s bike suffered a problem and spilled liquid on track, requiring an extensive clean-up job, while a strong downpour further complicated the situation. Consequently, the MotoGP class headed out for FP1 at 1:50 p.m. local time and for FP2 at 4:20 p.m., with both sessions luckily run in dry conditions.
Newly crowned World Champion Marc Marquez was sixth-fastest in FP1 and seventh in FP2, with teammate Dani Pedrosa finishing both sessions in 13th place.
The action for the MotoGP class will resume tomorrow at 11:55 a.m. local time.
Marc Marquez
“We didn't start the day very well in terms of feeling with the bike and front tyre, and we had a crash that was quite unexpected. Anyway, I think we made a good step in the second session, so we’re happy with the work we did, even if we ended in seventh place. We made some changes on the bike and did kind of a long run, looking to better understand the feeling, and I think we’re now heading in the right direction, even if we still have work to do. We’re all very close, and it’s not clear yet where everyone is, so we’ll see how it goes tomorrow. Of course we’ll try and give one hundred per cent.”
Dani Pedrosa
“I went out this morning and the feeling wasn’t bad, but when I exited for the second run, with the same tyre and having made no particular changes on the bike, I lost the front and crashed. The feeling still wasn’t perfect in the second session, with turning and the front in general. We tried the soft and the medium spec tyre, and we must keep working. We’ll see tomorrow.”
Free Practice Classification
| Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Team | Constructor | Time/Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iannone Andrea | 29 | ITA | Team Suzuki Ecstar | Suzuki | 1'29.131 |
| 2 | Petrucci Danilo | 9 | ITA | Pramac Racing | Ducati | 1'29.291 / 0.160 |
| 3 | Vinales Maverick | 25 | SPA | Movistar Yamaha MotoGP | Yamaha | 1'29.354 / 0.223 |
| 4 | Dovizioso Andrea | 4 | ITA | Mission Winnow Ducati | Ducati | 1'29.406 / 0.275 |
| 5 | Crutchlow Cal | 35 | GBR | LCR Honda | Honda | 1'29.616 / 0.485 |
| 6 | Zarco Johann | 5 | FRA | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | KTM | 1'29.686 / 0.555 |
| 7 | Marquez Marc | 93 | SPA | Repsol Honda Team | Honda | 1'29.739 / 0.608 |
| 8 | Miller Jack | 43 | AUS | Pramac Racing | Ducati | 1'29.838 / 0.707 |
| 9 | Rins Alex | 42 | SPA | Team Suzuki Ecstar | Suzuki | 1'29.918 / 0.787 |
| 10 | Rossi Valentino | 46 | ITA | Movistar Yamaha MotoGP | Yamaha | 1'30.133 / 1.002 |
| 11 | Syahrin Hafizh | 55 | MAL | Monster Yamaha Tech 3 | Yamaha | 1'30.179 / 1.048 |
| 12 | Smith Bradley | 38 | GBR | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | KTM | 1'30.346 / 1.215 |
| 13 | Pedrosa Dani | 26 | SPA | Repsol Honda Team | Honda | 1'30.472 / 1.341 |
| 14 | Espargaro Pol | 44 | SPA | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | KTM | 1'30.545 / 1.414 |
| 15 | Bautista Alvaro | 19 | SPA | Angel Nieto Team | Ducati | 1'30.734 / 1.603 |
| 16 | Espargaro Aleix | 41 | SPA | Aprilia Racing Team Gresini | Aprilia | 1'30.736 / 1.605 |
| 17 | Abraham Karel | 17 | CZE | Angel Nieto Team | Ducati | 1'30.772 / 1.641 |
| 18 | Morbidelli Franco | 21 | ITA | EG 0,0 Marc VDS | Honda | 1'30.787 / 1.656 |
| 19 | Nakagami Takaaki | 30 | JPN | LCR Honda | Honda | 1'30.830 / 1.699 |
| 20 | Simeon Xavier | 10 | BEL | Reale Avintia Racing | Ducati | 1'31.275 / 2.144 |
| 21 | Luthi Tom | 12 | SWI | EG 0,0 Marc VDS | Honda | 1'31.539 / 2.408 |
| 22 | Torres Jordi | 81 | SPA | Reale Avintia Racing | Ducati | 1'31.570 / 2.439 |
| 23 | Redding Scott | 45 | GBR | Aprilia Racing Team Gresini | Aprilia | 1'31.941 / 2.810 |
| 24 | Jones Mike | 7 | AUS | Angel Nieto Team | Ducati | 1'33.633 / 4.502 |
Location Information
Phillip Island, the self-styled home of Australian motorsport, is steeped in motor racing tradition, with the first car races having been held there on public roads in the 1920s. The first motorcycle races took place in 1931 and a permanent track was built in 1956. The circuit fell into disrepair… read more.
| Length | 4.448 kilometres / 2.764 miles |
| Width | 13 metres |
| Left corners | 7 |
| Right corners | 5 |
| Longest straight | 0.900 kilometres / 0.559 miles |
| Constructed | 1956 |
| Modified | 1988 |
Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, Phillip Island, Ventnor, Victoria, Australia - View in Google Maps
Records
| Pole Position | 1m 27.899s (182.1 km/h) Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha, 2013) |
| Race Lap | 1m 28.108s (181.7 km/h) Marc Marquez (Honda, 2013) |
| Race Time | 40m 33.849s (177.6 km/h) Marc Marquez (Honda, 2015) |
| 2018 Race Winner | Maverick Vinales (Yamaha) |
