As MotoGP title protagonists Jorge Martin and Francesco Bagnaia both admitted a risk-averse approach to this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix, the likes of Pedro Acosta, Marc Marquez and others are eyeing an opportunity to grab victory.
Martin (Pramac Ducati) leads factory Ducati rider Bagnaia by 10 points heading into the final quartet of races. And in Thursday’s press conference at Phillip Island, both highlighted caution over the temptation of picking up a first win – in any class – at the fast, challenging circuit.
With the points leader candidly revealing that “a mistake would be a disaster” and his chaser adding that “taking risks is a huge thing here at Phillip Island”, plus some expected wild weather and a (resurfaced) track on which rider skill comes into sharp focus, the weekend could once again be a gambler’s delight.
Given outsider Johann Zarco won on a weather-hit 2023 weekend at Phillip Island with Pramac Ducati, regular frontrunners such as Tech 3 GasGas's Acosta, factory Ducati's Enea Bastianini and Gresini Ducati’s Marquez had reason for optimism even before such declarations from the two championship rivals.
Rookie Acosta, who is still looking for a first win in the premier class and fell off twice whilst trying to achieve that in Japan, declared after the Motegi weekend that he was prepared to take risks a title contender wouldn’t.
Meanwhile, Bastianini and Marquez, a distant third and fourth in the standings respectively, will be looking to add to the three wins they’ve managed between them this season.
Acosta’s fellow KTM rider Jack Miller, who would not ordinarily expect a shot at victory, suggested “anything is realistic” given the circuit and conditions in question this weekend.
Martin was under no illusions about the special challenge the Australian GP will present. And while victory will be his initial target, there is a willingness to adapt.
“It will be a really challenging weekend,” said the Spaniard. “Not only because we’re now in the final four races, but also because the weather is so different here every day. Also we have a new surface as well as different tyres compared to last year.
“So it will be really difficult and demanding in terms of analysing the data and trying to quickly understand what we need for the race on Sunday. After what we saw last year, that will be the key to winning on Sunday.
“It’s one of the most beautiful tracks to ride on, it would be super nice to win here! But the important thing for me is to arrive in Valencia with options. I will try my best to get to that point.
“There are still three races where we can make a lot of mistakes. And now, mistakes are much heavier, much more important. If you make a mistake it will be a disaster.
“I would love to win at this point, but right now the important thing is the championship and maybe I will think more about that. But if I have the opportunity [to win], I will take it 100%!”
Bagnaia explained similar reasoning behind taking a measured approach into the weekend.
“It’s not mandatory to lead the championship right now,” said the reigning champion. “If it happens, it happens, but gaining or losing a few points will not be a problem because we already understood that this [title] will [be decided] in Valencia.
“So we will try to do the maximum. If the maximum is to finish second then we will try to finish second.
“I was close [to winning] here in 2022 and 2023. You never know, we will try again this season, but we have to be thinking about the championship and trying to do the maximum without taking too much risk. And here at Phillip Island, taking risks is a huge thing!”
