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Marc Marquez surged to victory in the Australian MotoGP sprint race at Phillip Island on Saturday and moved back to the top of the 2026 standings with 365 points according to official results published by organisers. The Ducati Lenovo rider started from pole and held off repeated challenges from Jorge Martin before the Aprilia rider crashed on lap eight handing Marquez a clear path to the 12 points that put him 10 ahead of his rival. Martin who had led the championship by two points entering the weekend finished with no points from the sprint and now sits on 355 points.
The sprint unfolded on a dry track following morning rain with Marquez launching cleanly from pole and Martin advancing quickly from fourth to second. Martin overtook for the lead on lap three sparking a fierce back-and-forth battle that produced some of the closest racing of the season according to reports from Reuters. Marquez regained the advantage shortly before Martin’s crash at turn eight ended the duel and altered the title picture with four rounds remaining after this weekend.
Martin suffered a fracture to his right radius with a suspected fracture of the right ulna and has been declared unfit to compete in Sunday’s grand prix a Ducati Media House update confirmed. The injury removes the reigning champion from immediate contention in the main race where Marquez will have the chance to extend his advantage further. Marco Bezzecchi moved into a distant third overall on 315 points after finishing fourth in the sprint.
Alex Marquez finished second just 0.323 seconds behind his brother while Fabio Di Giannantonio completed an all-Ducati podium in third Crash.net results show. Pedro Acosta placed fifth for KTM and Brad Binder took sixth as several riders including Francesco Bagnaia Maverick Vinales and Johann Zarco failed to finish the 13-lap contest. Tyre-pressure penalties adjusted the final classification for Ai Ogura and Augusto Fernandez.
Marquez said in a team statement that the pace was really fast and it was clear that Martin had a rhythm he could not match. Once informed of the crash he managed the race to keep challengers including his brother at bay. The seven-time champion added that he felt sorry for Jorge and wished him a speedy recovery.
The result marks a significant swing in a championship that has seen multiple lead changes this season with the Phillip Island round counting as the 18th of 22 according to series standings published by Grande Premio. Bezzecchi now trails the leader by 50 points while Acosta occupies fourth on 263 points. Sunday’s main race offers a maximum of 25 points to the winner as the title battle heads into its final phase.
