Australian MotoGP cancelled as poor visibility ends Phillip Island farewell

AI-generated illustration.

The Australian MotoGP was cancelled on Sunday after poor visibility prevented the medical helicopter from operating safely, ending Phillip Island’s final Grand Prix weekend without a race in any of the three world championship classes.

The Moto3 and Moto2 races had already been called off as organisers repeatedly revised the timetable. A provisional 4.30pm local start was announced for the premier class, but conditions failed to improve enough for the race to proceed.

The Australian Grand Prix Corporation said racing could not take place without the helicopter available. The decision followed a morning of weather delays that also cost riders their MotoGP warm-up session. It left the sold-out crowd without the competitive Sunday farewell that had been planned.

The cancellation leaves Marc Márquez’s championship advantage over Jorge Martín at 10 points. Márquez has 365 points to Martín’s 355 following his victory in Saturday’s Sprint, when the Aprilia rider crashed and was subsequently declared unfit for Sunday’s race.

Márquez therefore had no opportunity to add to that lead while his closest challenger was sidelined. Saturday’s Sprint remains the weekend’s completed premier-class contest, with Álex Márquez second and Fabio Di Giannantonio third behind the factory Ducati rider.

Phillip Island is due to give way to Adelaide as the Australian round’s venue in 2027. Following the cancellation, the riders made a farewell lap around the wet circuit to acknowledge supporters, as reported by Reuters.

For spectators, the Australian Grand Prix Corporation said it was working with its ticketing partners to arrange full refunds for Sunday ticket holders and partial refunds for people with multi-day tickets. Those arrangements accompanied its statement thanking fans, teams, officials and the local community after the disrupted event.

Sources

• Australian Grand Prix Corporation: race-day cancellation and schedule updates
• Reuters via CNA: rain ends Phillip Island’s MotoGP farewell (2026-10-25)
• Australian Grand Prix Corporation: cancellation statement and refunds (2026-10-25)
• Australian MotoGP: Saturday Sprint report and championship points (2026-10-24)