MotoGP Phillip Island faces 100% rain forecast for Australian Grand Prix
Melbourne's skies will turn very grey this weekend (Credit: Red Bull Content Pool)
Connor Andrews is Formula 1 and MotoGP writer for GPblog and various outlets. Having worked in motorsport for 15 years for leading companies, he has interviewed the sports biggest names and attended multiple Grands Prix.
The last MotoGP weekend at Phillip Island could be more dramatic than ever with rain forecast for the Australian Grand Prix.
The iconic track will be sadly leaving the calendar after 2026 with an Adelaide street circuit replacing it as Australia’s race.
A street track will be unique, but so is Phillip Island, with its undulating rollercoaster-like hills and turns, located on a seaside that’s often populated by penguins.
The track has brought us some of the greatest MotoGP races in history, and this weekend promises to be no different when Aprilia’s Jorge Martin heads in just two points ahead of Ducati’s Marc Marquez in the riders’ championship.
The stage is set for an epic bout between the Spaniards, and it could get even more unpredictable when rain begins to fall.
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Phillip Island weather forecast: Rain expected for Sprint and Grand Prix
According to the latest reports from Australia's Bureau of Meteorology, rain is almost guaranteed for Saturday and Sunday’s running.
Friday starts with a 40 per cent chance of rain, which could still disrupt competitive running when timed practice begins at 15:00 local time (05:00 UK time).
Things then change dramatically on Saturday with the chance of rain increasing to 95 per cent, with between 6 to 20 milimetres forecast.
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MotoGP bikes hit the track at 10:10 local time (00:10 UK time) for free practice, and action finishes with the sprint race at 15:00 local time (05:00 UK time).
Remarkably, things then get even more severe on race day on Sunday when the chance of rain increases to 100 per cent with 10 to 30 milimitres predicted.
| Day | Chance of rain | Expected rainfall |
| Friday, 23 October | 40% | 0–2 mm |
| Saturday, 24 October | 95% | 6–20 mm |
| Sunday, 25 October | 100% | 10–30 mm |
Two events have already seen rain this season, the Spanish Grand Prix sprint race in Round 4, won by Marquez.
The Brazilian Grand Prix also suffered spells of rain, but not during the race days.
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The last rain-hit race was won by Marquez in April (Credit: Red Bull Content Pool)
Marc Marquez and Pedro Acosta react to prospect of wet conditions
Giving his take on take on the conditions, five-time Australian Grand Prix winner Marquez said: “Let’s see, we need to evaluate everything, the forecast looks not so good during Saturday and Sunday but it’s a circuit that I like with left corners where I normally perform well.”
Marco Bezzecchi, who is third in the championship, 44 points behind Marquez, added: “It’s going to be the same for everybody so we just need to try and adapt in the quickest way possible.
“A wet race is super tough, but also the dry is never easy, so let’s take it day by day.”
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Finally, KTM’s Pedro Acosta said: “I hope that it comes, a lot of rain.
“Phillip Island is a track where a rider can make a lot of difference, we will try and be as close as we can and if it’s wet it’s more fun for the fans.”
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