Battered but unbowed, Marco Bezzecchi stormed to the top of the Phillip Island timesheets, smashing the lap record with a stunning 1m26.492s on his Aprilia RS-GP25.
Raul Fernandez made it an Aprilia 1-2, while Fabio Di Giannantonio led the Ducati charge in third, 0.420s adrift of Bezzecchi.
Monster Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo and Alex Rins sandwiched Alex Marquez, with Luca Marini emerging as the leading Honda rider in seventh. Pol Espargaro, standing in for KTM, impressed in eighth, while Francesco Bagnaia salvaged ninth after another shaky start to his session, narrowly edging out Pedro Acosta for the final top-ten spot.
Rookie Mandalika winner Fermin Aldeguer and home hero Jack Miller both missed out on direct Q2 qualification, meaning they’ll face a tough fight in Saturday’s Q1.
Top 3:
- Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia RS-GP25) – 1’26.492
- Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse Aprilia) +0.291
- Fabio Di Giannantonio (VR46 Ducati) +0.420
Official Phillip Island records:
- Best lap: Jorge Martin (Ducati), 1m27.246s (2023)
- Fastest race lap: Marc Marquez (Ducati), 1m27.765s (2024)
Morning Glory for Local Hero Jack Miller
Earlier in FP1, it was Jack Miller who thrilled his home crowd by topping the session after fitting fresh front and rear tyres for his final run, edging Alex Marquez, who had a heart-stopping moment clipping the rear of Miguel Oliveira’s Yamaha at Turn 1. The incident was reviewed with no further action.
Young guns Pedro Acosta and Fermin Aldeguer continued to impress, locking out third and fourth, while Bezzecchi worked on long-lap penalty practice for Sunday’s race.
Bagnaia endured another frustrating morning with violent front-end chatter on his GP25 but improved to seventh by the end. Franco Morbidelli became the first faller of the weekend, and Joan Mir’s Honda engine spectacularly blew up on the main straight.
Former Winners Absent
Last year’s front-row trio – Jorge Martin, Marc Marquez, and Maverick Viñales – are all sidelined through injury.
- Marquez is recovering from shoulder ligament surgery after his clash with Bezzecchi in Indonesia.
- Martin remains out following collarbone surgery after his Motegi incident with Bezzecchi.
- Viñales withdrew in Mandalika due to a lingering shoulder problem.
Their replacements: Michele Pirro (Ducati), Lorenzo Savadori (Aprilia), and Pol Espargaro (KTM).
Bezzecchi returns under scrutiny, set to serve a double long lap penalty on Sunday. Rookie Ai Ogura also rejoins the grid after missing Japan and Indonesia due to wrist pain.
