Saturday at the 2026 Red Bull Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix delivered everything that makes Phillip Island special. Check out our wrap up, video with fan interviews, and some great images... Photos/Footage: AGP Corp, MotoGP Press

Saturday at the 2026 Red Bull Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix delivered a record-breaking crowd, spectacular racing and a dramatic shift in the MotoGP Championship, with Marc Marquez taking victory in a Sprint battle before Jorge Martin crashed out of contention. 

Phillip Island was buzzing from the moment the gates opened, with fans packing the circuit for qualifying across all three Grand Prix classes, the MotoGP Tissot Sprint and Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) action. The weather largely played ball, with the rain holding off for most of the day, although changing conditions added another layer of uncertainty to an already action-packed Saturday.

Marquez and Martin Go Head-to-Head
The MotoGP Sprint was the highlight of the day, with championship rivals Marc Marquez and Jorge Martin producing one of the most intense battles of the season. Marquez grabbed the holeshot, but Martin launched from the second row and quickly moved into second, setting up a thrilling fight between the two title contenders.

The lead changed hands repeatedly as Martin attacked into Turn 10 and Marquez fought back, with neither rider willing to give an inch. Alex Marquez remained close behind, while Fabio Di Giannantonio worked his way into podium contention.

The decisive moment came on Lap 8. Pushing hard to stay with Marquez, Martin ran across the inside kerb at Turn 7 and lost the front at Turn 8, sliding into the gravel. It was a devastating end to the Sprint for the championship leader, who also suffered an injury that ruled him out of Sunday’s Grand Prix.

Marquez went on to claim his ninth Sprint victory of the season, ahead of brother Alex Marquez, while Di Giannantonio completed a Ducati podium lockout. The result handed Marc the championship lead, dramatically changing the title picture heading into Sunday’s race.

Marco Bezzecchi charged through the field to finish fourth, while Australia’s Jack Miller secured Sprint points. A post-race tyre-pressure penalty for Ai Ogura reshuffled the lower points positions, promoting Miller to seventh.

The news was also disappointing for Raul Fernandez, last year’s Australian Grand Prix winner, who withdrew from Sunday’s race while continuing to suffer from the effects of a fractured finger sustained in Indonesia. Luca Marini was also ruled out following his recent illness.

Agius and Kelso Shine in Qualifying
There was plenty for Australian fans to cheer about in the support classes. Senna Agius produced a strong performance in Moto2 qualifying, briefly taking provisional pole before a heavy crash at Turn 8 ended his session. His earlier lap remained good enough for seventh, while championship leader Manuel Gonzalez secured pole position with a 1:30.122.

Read all the full results for the day here… and our Thursday and Friday content here…

Moto3 delivered another thrilling qualifying session, with home favourite Joel Kelso claiming a front-row start in third. Indonesia’s Veda Pratama stole pole position on his final flying lap, edging newly crowned World Champion Maximo Quiles by just 0.021 seconds.

A Massive Day on the Island
Away from the Grand Prix action, the huge crowd enjoyed the atmosphere, pit-lane activity and entertainment that make Phillip Island such a special event. From the support-category racing to the packed spectator areas, there was something happening around every corner.

With the championship lead changing hands, Martin sidelined and the weather still an unknown for Sunday, the stage is set for a dramatic final Grand Prix at Phillip Island.

Stay tuned to BikeReview.com.au for all the race reports, galleries, news and more from the 2026 Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix.

 

Red Bull Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix Saturday Gallery

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