AustralianGP: Bagnaia Says Riders Weren’t Consulted on Phillip Island Cancellation

MotoGP riders were not asked for their opinion before the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island was cancelled, Francesco Bagnaia has said. Riders are normally consulted when conditions are sketchy enough to warrant delaying or cancelling a race, but the Sunday race was called off because visibility stopped the medical helicopters from flying, not because of the state of the track.

Poor visibility prevented the medical helicopter from operating, and racing cannot take place without it. MotoGP called off the Moto3 race first, then Moto2, and finally the premier-class race at about 3:35pm local time, once it was clear that the hoped-for 4:30pm start would not happen. The Australian Superbikes race was also cancelled, and the Australian Grand Prix Corporation said Sunday ticket-holders would be refunded in full and multi-day ticket-holders in part.

It was the final Australian MotoGP at Phillip Island before the race moves to Adelaide from 2027, and riders saluted the fans with parade laps instead of racing.

Asked by TNT Sports whether the riders had a say, Bagnaia answered with one word: “No.”

He accepted that the decision rests with race direction. “But in these kinds of situations we need to respect the decisions of the management,” he said.

Bagnaia, who rides for Ducati Lenovo Team, said he would have preferred to race. “Yes, absolutely,” he said. “It’s clear that the condition was a bit tricky, very cold, but I think we raced in worse conditions than this.”

He called it a disappointing way to say goodbye to the circuit. “It’s a shame to have this kind of Sunday, remain in the garage in a track like this, the last time. I just hope that in the future we can come back to enjoy it, because like we saw yesterday the races produced on this track are amazing, great battles. So it’s a shame, but I really hope in the future we can come back.”

Bagnaia’s view was echoed by home rider Senna Agius, whose first premier-class race in Australia will be the first Grand Prix in Adelaide. The Moto2 rider told TNT Sports he was devastated.

“Look at all these fans here, they wanted to see a motorcycle race today. Okay, Moto2 got cancelled a couple of hours ago, but MotoGP was pretty sad to not run,” he said. “I understand safety is a priority, and it was just a bit sad that we couldn’t have the event on today, even if track conditions were rideable. There’s no dramas, there’s not that much standing water.”

He added: “But I understand there’s a bigger picture. A big shame for the fans, a big shame for the sport today, and the last Phillip Island race didn’t get the roar it needed.”

Questions have been raised about why MotoGP did not move the Grand Prix to Saturday, as it did in 2023. MotoGP says Saturday’s forecasts did not predict the visibility problems that stopped the helicopter on Sunday. In 2023 the Grand Prix was run on Saturday and the Sprint was scheduled for Sunday, and that Sprint was then cancelled. Jack Miller and Marc Marquez both said Phillip Island deserved better.

The cancellation also affects the championship. Marc Marquez leaves Phillip Island 10 points clear of Jorge Martin, with four rounds scheduled to remain and question marks over the Qatar Grand Prix. Martin broke his radius in Saturday’s Sprint, so the cancelled race meant he had nothing to miss, while Marquez would have started the Grand Prix from pole position. MotoGP at least left Phillip Island having run a Sprint in the dry on Saturday.

The championship now moves to Sepang for the Malaysian Grand Prix, from October 30 to November 1.

Credit Photo : MotoGP