MOTOGP HEADS TO PHILLIP ISLAND FOR THE 2026 AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX

MotoGP’s 2026 Australian Grand Prix is scheduled for 23–25 October at Phillip Island, the 18th round of the season and the first event in a triple-header. It will be the championship’s last visit to the circuit: from 2027, the Australian round is due to move to a street track in Adelaide. The change has drawn strong opposition from fans who regard Phillip Island as one of the calendar’s most important venues.

The title fight is finely poised heading into the weekend. Jorge Martin leads Marc Marquez by just two points, with five rounds left after Australia. At the previous round in Indonesia, Marco Bezzecchi won the grand prix. Marquez claimed the sprint after problems affected Martin, who recovered to finish third in the main race.

Phillip Island has hosted the Australian Grand Prix permanently since 1996, following MotoGP’s arrival in the country in the late 1980s. Raul Fernandez won the 2025 race for Trackhouse Aprilia, earning his first MotoGP victory.

The weekend begins on Friday, 23 October, with first practice from 12:45am to 1:30am BST and the main practice session from 5am to 6am. Saturday’s running starts with FP2 at 12:10am, followed by qualifying: Q1 from 12:50am and Q2 from 1:15am. The sprint is scheduled for 5am. A short warm-up is listed for 11:40pm on Saturday.

The grand prix starts at 3am GMT on Sunday, 25 October. The UK changes from British Summer Time to GMT that morning, with clocks going back at 2am.

In the UK, free coverage will be limited to highlights on Monday evening after the race. Live coverage is available through an HBO Max subscription or MotoGP VideoPass. The reported starting prices are £25.99 per month for HBO Max and €44.99 for VideoPass for the remainder of the year.