Moto GP: at what time and on which channel to follow the Australian GP and the incredible duel between Martin and Bagnaia

Ten small points: this is the gap that separates the Spaniard Jorge Martin from the Italian Francesco Bagnaia before the Australian Grand Prix this weekend, 17^e event out of 20 in the MotoGP world championship, run on the magnificent – ​​but often treacherous – Phillip Island track.

On their Ducati, a factory machine for Bagnaia and a motorcycle from the Pramac satellite team for Martin, the two riders continue their duel for the championship won the last two seasons by the Italian far ahead of the others.

The 3^e in the championship, the Italian Enea Bastianini, Bagnaia’s teammate, is 79 points behind Martin while the seven-time Spanish world champion Marc Marquez (Ducati-Gresini) is just behind at 81 points. Their chances for the championship are above all mathematical but their fight is intense because Bastianini already knows that he will have to leave his saddle to Marquez next year within the factory team of the Borgo Panigale manufacturer and is fighting for honor .

The good dynamics of Bagnaia

Bagnaia arrives at Phillip Island, near Melbourne, crowned with his success in Japan where he won the sprint race and the Grand Prix, pocketing 37 points to 26 to Martin, 4^e you sprint a 2^e you GP. “Phillip Island is a fast circuit where I have always been quite competitive but which is also a bit unusual, the grip of the surface and the changing weather conditions always playing a key role”underlines the Turinese. “The weather changes here all the time and tire management will be very important”believes his rival.

Bagnaia and Martin are used to tight endings. Already last year, the two men were separated by only 18 points when they arrived in Australia, “Pecco” Bagnaia finally winning the championship with 39 points ahead of Martin.

It was the unexpected Frenchman Johann Zarco who won at Phillip Island a year ago, the only MotoGP victory to date for the double Moto2 world champion. So at Ducati-Pramac, he has since joined the Honda-LCR team which is far from offering him such a high-performance machine and he is only a distant 17^e place in the championship.

“This track impresses me and I am happy to have been able to win” last year, Zarco said on Thursday, hoping to continue the development of his bike and his recent progress to fight with the top ten.

In good memory of Zarco

His compatriot Fabio Quartararo, 2021 world champion, is 13^e. If his Yamaha is a little faster than the Honda, only a miracle would allow him to win or even get on the podium. Bagnaia and Martin could well see their mano a mano disturbed by Marquez and Bastianini, always on the lookout for a coup.

They each already have two Grand Prix victories this year and the first has shown that he is now back at the highest level even with a machine of last year’s specifications, Gresini being only a customer team of Ducati. The young Spanish prodigy Pedro Acosta (GasGas-Tech3) is still chasing his first victory in the premier category where he is making his debut this season but often falls as during the last GP in Japan.

To be continued during the night from Sunday to Monday from 5 a.m. on Canal + Sport 360.