Marquez Dominates Chaotic Friday Practice at 2024 Australian MotoGP Amid Weather Woes and Goose Intrusion

2024 Australian MotoGP at Phillip Island – Results from Friday's Practice Sessions

The outcomes of Friday's practice sessions for the Australian MotoGP held at Phillip Island, marking the 17th of 20 rounds in the 2024 world championship series.

Practice Results for the 2024 Australian MotoGP at Phillip Island

* Beginner

Phillip Island MotoGP Official Records:

Fastest lap: Jorge Martin with a time of 1 minute and 27.246 seconds in 202

Quickest lap in the race: Marc Marquez clocked a time of 1 minute and 28.108 seconds in

During an intense Friday Practice session for the 2024 Australian MotoGP at Phillip Island, Marc Marquez was at the forefront, followed closely by his Gresini team-mate and brother Alex, along with Marco Bezzecchi and Jorge Martin. This was the sole practice session of the day for the top-tier class.

Due to heavy rain, the first practice session (FP1) was called off. Initially, the afternoon practice was extended from an hour to 80 minutes. However, this was later changed back to the usual 60-minute duration as the track conditions improved.

However, ominous clouds began to form as early challenges faced title contenders Martin and Francesco Bagnaia, along with hometown favorite Jack Miller. This situation put all three at risk of having to compete in Qualifying 1 if the rain made a comeback.

To the great relief of the teams, riders, and Michelin, who were all eager for information about the new asphalt, the session stayed dry.

Martin and Bagnaia secured spots in Qualifying 2 directly, while notable riders such as Miller and Enea Bastianini did not make it into the top ten and will have to compete in Saturday's Q1 session.

The afternoon began disastrously for world championship frontrunner Martin, who found himself in a crash as he attempted to steer clear of colliding with Yamaha's Fabio Quartararo at the Turn 4 hairpin.

Martin made his way back to the Pramac garage, whereas Miller ended up on the wet grass following an off-track excursion at the corner that bears his name. Current titleholder Bagnaia didn't face clear problems but also hadn't logged an early lap time.

While racing on a dry course with ominous clouds overhead, Marquez quickly surged ahead, leading the pack by 1.7 seconds.

The Gresini team competitor continued to enhance his performance, managing to be 0.2 seconds faster than Fabio di Giannantonio. However, the session was halted with red flags because a sizable goose made its way onto the track.

This was the worst possible scenario for riders such as Bagnaia and Martin, as the onset of rain would force them into Qualifying 1.

As the session resumed, Miller and Martin quickly accelerated out of the pit lane, closely followed by Bagnaia. They were all equipped with soft rear tires, aiming for a fast lap.

Martin made an impressive move, securing the second position just behind Marquez on his second fast attempt. Meanwhile, hometown favorite Miller quickly advanced into the top ten, while Bagnaia reached ninth place after 25 minutes.

During the middle portions of the race, Miller led for KTM until Marquez regained the lead. Shortly after, Maverick Vinales temporarily put Aprilia in front, but the #93, with smoke coming from his rear tire, reclaimed the top position.

Pedro Acosta, who qualified on pole at Motegi, initially managed to avoid a fall with a skillful leg-off maneuver, but eventually slipped on the damp grass as the session concluded. Shortly after, the focus shifted to Miller, who was seen leaving the scene of a high-speed crash, which ultimately prevented him from securing a direct spot in Q2.

Fabio Quartararo expressed his dissatisfaction to the Monster Yamaha team after observing that the rear tire of his M1 experienced severe bouncing and chatter at the Turn 4 hairpin.

The vibrations appeared to be as significant as the chatter that Miller experienced at Motegi. However, this time, the issue might not have been caused by the tire. It is suggested that the new asphalt may have wave-like undulations. In an update, it was reported that Quartararo faced a clutch issue.

In an impressive comeback, Quartararo managed to climb into the top ten, placing just behind his teammate Alex Rins. However, he was edged out at the very last moment. Meanwhile, Rins, who was disappointed following a difficult race at Motegi, secured the final automatic spot for Q2.

Johann Zarco, who clinched victory with Pramac Ducati last year, displayed remarkable performance throughout most of the practice sessions. However, he will still proceed to Qualifying 1.

In the final moments, wild-card rider Lorenzo Savadori experienced a fall at the daunting Doohan corner, turn 1, while riding for Trackhouse Aprilia. Although Savadori was able to walk away uninjured, the incident led to the deployment of yellow flags, temporarily halting the fast lap attempts.

Raul Fernandez managed to finish just 11 laps because he was feeling unwell

The third practice session on Saturday morning has been extended to 40 minutes instead of the usual 30, as a result of the first practice session being canceled

Since there is no available MotoGP data for the newly resurfaced track at Phillip Island, Michelin has decided to provide a third choice for rear tires this weekend.

Michelin's Piero Taramasso announced that the front tires will maintain the same compounds—soft, medium, and hard—as used in 2023. However, for the rear tires, they are introducing three choices instead of the standard two.

"We will feature the soft compound tire, maintaining its typical internal design. Additionally, there will be two other tire options with medium and hard compounds, both of which have a strengthened construction that was previously observed in Mandalika at the end of September."

Most riders chose the medium compound tire from last year's event for the grand prix on Saturday, known as the soft rear.

Miguel Oliveira remains out of action due to fractures in his right wrist sustained in Mandalika, with Lorenzo Savadori, an Aprilia test rider, stepping in to fill his spot at Trackhouse.

The Ducati Lenovo team, holding a 167-point lead over Pramac, has the opportunity to secure their fourth MotoGP teams’ championship if they finish the Australian race with a lead of at least 198 points.

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