Phillip Island MotoGP Stats Pack
Words and images courtesy MGP
Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing)
Qualifying position: Pole – Tissot Sprint: Win
Martin has qualified on pole position for the seventh time so far this year and the third successive time at Phillip Island. This is Martin’s 20th pole in MotoGP, all with Ducati, which is just one less than both Francesco Bagnaia and Casey Stoner, who are the Ducati riders with most poles in the class. He won the Sprint for his 13th Sprint podium of 2024 and sixth win, and on Sunday he will aim to take his ninth MotoGP win overall, and fourth of the season. It would be his second double (Sprint and GP race wins) in 2024 along with France. He is still leading the Championship but now with a 16-point advantage over Bagnaia.
Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP)
Qualifying position: 2 – Tissot Sprint: 2
Marquez qualified second for his fifth top three in qualifying so far this season, the last time being in Aragon when he took the pole as well as the double (Sprint and GP race wins). This is his ninth front row start out of ten visits to Phillip Island in MotoGP. He finished P2 in the Sprint for his ninth Sprint podium of 2024 and will be aiming to win for the third time this year along with Aragon and San Marino.
14/14?If Ducati win, it would be their 14th GP win in a row, setting a new personal record. Ducati would be the first manufacturer to win 14 premier class races in a row since Honda took 22 from Malaysia 1997 to Assen 1998.
Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing)
Qualifying position: 3 – Tissot Sprint: Crash
Viñales has qualified third, which is his seventh top three in qualifying so far this season. This is Aprilia’s best qualifying result at Phillip Island since Jeremy McWilliams was on pole in 2000. He crashed out on the penultimate lap in the Sprint following a collision with Marco Bezzecchi at Turn 1. A win would be his 11th MotoGP GP win and second with Aprilia along with COTA this season.
A first at Phillip Island?
Aprilia and KTM riders will be aiming to give their manufacturer(s) their first win at Phillip Island. So far, their best results here are P6 and P4.
Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team)
Qualifying position: 4 – Tissot Sprint: Crash
Bezzecchi has qualified fourth, which is the seventh time so far this season he qualified within the top six. He crashed out in the Sprint following a collision with Viñales at Turn 1 on the penultimate lap.
Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team)
Qualifying position: 5 – Tissot Sprint: 4
Bagnaia has qualified fifth, which is the second time on his four visits at Phillip Island that he missed out on the top three in qualifying along with 2019 when he qualified 15th. He finished P4 in the Sprint, but if he wins the GP race, 2024 will be his best MotoGP season regarding wins and he’ll be the first rider to take nine (or more) wins in a single MotoGP season since Marc Marquez in 2019 (12), and would join Marquez, Casey Stoner, Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo as the only riders to have won nine or more Grand Prix races in a single MotoGP season. He is second in the Championship, but now 16 points behind Martin.
Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse Racing)
Qualifying position: 6 – Tissot Sprint: 7
Via Q1, Fernandez qualified sixth for his best qualifying since he was third in Germany earlier this year. He finished P7 in the Sprint for his best Sprint result so far. If he can beat his P5 from Valencia last year, it would be his best GP result in MotoGP too.
Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing)
Qualifying position: 7 – Tissot Sprint: 6
Morbidelli qualified seventh for his 12th top nine in qualifying so far this season. He finished P6 in the Sprint and will be aiming to take his first GP podium since he finished P3 in Jerez in 2021, after coming close earlier in Indonesia and taking a Sprint podium at the San Marino GP.
Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGPTM)
Qualifying position: 8 – Tissot Sprint: Crash
Alex Marquez has qualified eighth for his best qualifying result since he qualified seventh in San Marino earlier this year. He crashed out in the Sprint, but he will now aim to add to his premier class podium collection (two with Honda and three with Ducati so far) or to take his maiden MotoGP win.
Alex Rins (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team)
Qualifying position: 9 – Tissot Sprint: 12
Winner here in 2022, Rins has qualified ninth for his second-best qualifying result since he joined Yamaha this year, after Catalunya when he qualified eighth.
Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team)
Qualifying position: 10 – Tissot Sprint: 3
After passing through Q1, Bastianini qualified 10th which is the fifth time so far this year he missed the top nine in qualifying. He finished third in the Sprint for his fifth Sprint podium in 2024 and his fourth in a row. He will now aim to take his eighth MotoGP win overall and third of the season.
Who can win what: Australian GP
MotoGP Team’ World Championship: Ducati Lenovo Team
With a 164-point advantage over Prima Pramac Racing, Ducati Lenovo Team have chance to clinch their fourth Teams’ Championship in MotoGP if they leave the Australian GP 198 points or more ahead.
Moto2 World Championship: Ai Ogura
Ogura can win the Moto2 title. Nine riders are still in contention, but Ogura needs to leave Phillip Island with a more than 75-point advantage over his closest rival.
Moto3 Rookie of the Year: Angel Piqueras
Angel Piqueras can wrap up Rookie of the Year if he has a more than 75-point advantage over his closest rival, which is currently Luca Lunetta 53 points in arrears.