The Australian Grand Prix of MotoGP, held at the Phillip Island circuit, ultimately did not take place this Sunday. Heavy rain and the impossibility of flying the medical helicopter from Melbourne led to the cancellation of the event. Johann Zarco and Fabio Quartararo, the two French riders, thus left Australia without being able to compete in the main race.
MotoGP was to continue its Asia-Pacific tour with the Australian Grand Prix, a traditional fixture on the calendar at the Phillip Island circuit, south of Melbourne. But the weather conditions disrupted the schedule for this last edition at the circuit, since the Australian round will move to Adelaide starting next season.
After a day marked by heavy rain, the riders finally completed two parade laps, approximately two hours after the initially scheduled start time. Race control then confirmed the cancellation of the Grand Prix, as safety could not be guaranteed due to weather conditions and the impossibility of the medical helicopter taking off from Melbourne.
Johann Zarco forced to retire from the sprint
The weekend had nonetheless started encouragingly for Johann Zarco who was returning for the last time to the track of his first MotoGP victory. The French Honda rider had missed direct qualification for Q2 during Practice by only 26 thousandths, finishing in 11th place. Going back through Q1, the LCR rider then took advantage of the rain during qualifying to secure a spot on the front row, behind the Márquez brothers.
Saturday’s sprint race, however, did not allow the Frenchman to capitalize on this result. Starting in the lead group, the rider from Cannes held third place at the first corner. After several overtakes, the Honda rider was still in the top 5 when a technical problem forced him to slow down from the fourth lap, before retiring.
At the end of the race, the Frenchman explained that a faulty gearbox sensor was disrupting the information displayed on his dashboard. An electronic malfunction was also affecting the bike’s behavior: “it’s bad luck,” he said to explain his early retirement from the sprint. “I had a technical problem. I think a gearbox sensor broke because the bike was lost: I didn’t know what gear I was in.”
The LCR Honda rider also emphasized the risks associated with continuing the race: “it’s not a mechanical problem, but an electronic one. I couldn’t fight. The bike was already giving strange sensations in terms of traction control and engine braking. When I understood what was happening, I stopped: it was simply too dangerous.”
The cancellation of Sunday’s Grand Prix therefore prevented Johann Zarco from getting back on track to try to end the weekend on a different note.
Fabio Quartararo struggling in the rain
For his part, Fabio Quartararo had a more difficult Saturday. The Yamaha rider from Nice finished qualifying in 19th place, after a session disputed in mixed conditions, with rain and wind. “This morning, I really didn’t feel comfortable in the mixed conditions,” explained the 2021 world champion.
On a track that had dried out for the sprint, the Yamaha rider then made his way up through the field to 11th place. A eight-second penalty imposed on Ai Ogura for non-compliant tire pressure ultimately allowed him to gain a position in the standings. Fabio Quartararo thus finished tenth, on the edge of the points.
The Frenchman notably mentioned a lack of feel with the front end in the last two sectors of the circuit. His teammate Jack Miller’s performance, who managed to score points on the same Yamaha, also highlighted the difficulties encountered by Quartararo.
The Nice-based rider nevertheless hoped to be able to benefit from a race held entirely on a wet track. “I hope we can find something on the wet tomorrow to fix it. I think I’ll feel better in 100% wet conditions than in what we had this morning.”
Weather forecasts predicted heavy showers for Sunday. The rain ultimately got the better of the event, depriving the Yamaha rider of another opportunity to work on his bike’s setup in difficult conditions.
A final symbolic appearance at Phillip Island
The cancellation also holds particular significance for the riders. Present on the calendar since 1989, with a first edition organized at Phillip Island before a six-year stint at Eastern Creek, the Australian Grand Prix had returned to its current circuit in 1997.
Located on the shores of the Bass Strait and the Tasman Sea, the circuit is renowned for its fast corners and changeable weather conditions. The move to Adelaide, scheduled for 2027, was supposed to make this edition a last opportunity to race on this track.
After the two parade laps, Johann Zarco also regretted not being able to compete in the race, while acknowledging the risks posed by track conditions: “several corners were really flooded and there were clearly aquaplaning risks. We have no regrets even if it’s obviously a shame to leave this circuit without having raced here one last time. I must admit it felt strange during those two laps thinking that we wouldn’t be coming back to Phillip Island anymore.”
The Australian Grand Prix thus ends without a main race, after an already eventful Saturday for the two Frenchmen. Johann Zarco leaves with a front row achieved in the rain, but also a sprint retirement, while Fabio Quartararo failed to score points. The two riders must now turn their attention to the rest of the MotoGP calendar starting next week in Sepang, Malaysia.
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