“The concessions are paying off.” It’s hard to refute Pol Espargaro’s conclusion after Saturday at Phillip Island. For the first time in 99 races, there isn’t a Ducati on the front row of the grid. Monster Energy Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo just squeaked ahead of Aprilia Racing’s Marco Bezzecchi, while Prima Pramac Yamaha’s Jack Miller took third, with a little help from a tow. The first Ducati was Alex Márquez in sixth, Trackhouse Aprilia’s Raul Fernandez and Red Bull KTM rider Pedro Acosta ahead of him.
For one and a half corners, it looked like Ducati would set that right, Alex Márquez having gotten a very strong start and leading Raul Fernandez into Turn 1. But Fernandez carried more speed through the second half of the very long Southern Loop, slicing underneath Márquez to take the lead. The Gresini Ducati rider ran into Turn 4 hot, going just wide enough for Marco Bezzecchi to get past. But there was still every chance that a Ducati would be on the sprint podium, as there has been in every sprint race since their introduction in 2023.
