04:46
It's dry conditions now for this sprint, which will be the first at Phillip Island as last year's was cancelled.
Marc Marquez, 2024 Australian MotoGP
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2024 Australian MotoGP: Sprint - LIVE UPDATES!
Follow live updates from Saturday’s sprint at the 2024 Australian MotoGP.
Jorge Martin holds a slender 10-point lead over Francesco Bagnaia as the final triple header of the 2024 MotoGP World Championship begins at Phillip Island in Australia.
Always one of the most anticipated rounds of the season, the thrilling seaside circuit has been the scene of many epic battles, while the notoriously unpredictable weather is set to keep teams and riders on edge.
This year’s event comes with the added unknown of MotoGP’s very first laps on the new Phillip Island asphalt.
The last time the Australian track was resurfaced, in 2013, MotoGP required a shortened race distance and pit stops due to the overheating Bridgestone rubber.
The same fate then befell the WorldSBK Championship when it took to the latest tarmac in February of this year, meaning all eyes will be on Michelin’s chosen line-up of 2024 MotoGP compounds.
Whatever happens, MotoGP will be hoping for its first Phillip Island Sprint race this weekend, after storm warnings saw the Saturday race replaced by the full grand prix in 2023.
Martin came within a lap of glory last year, until a soft tyre gamble backfired and team-mate Johann Zarco swept to a long awaited first MotoGP win. The forecast storm then arrived on Sunday, cancelling the rescheduled Sprint.
Martin starts on pole for Saturday's 13-lap sprint, with Bagnaia fifth.
19 Oct 2024
04:52
starting grid
Row 1 - Martin, M.Marquez, Vinales
Row 2 - Bezzecchi, Bagnaia, R.Fernandez
Row 3 - Morbidelli, A.Marquez, Rins
Row 4 - Bastianini, Binder, Di Giannantonio
Row 5 - Marini, Zarco, Acosta
Row 6 - Miller, A.Fernandez, Mir
Row 7 - Quartararo, A.Espargaro, Savadori
Row 8 - Nakagami
04:45
sprint build-up
Good morning and welcome back to our live coverage of the 2024 Australian Grand Prix!
The 13-lap sprint is just 15 minutes away. Pitlane has opened and the field is heading out onto the grid.
01:32
Qualifying over.
A dominant pole position for Jorge Martin ahead of Marc Marquez and Maverick Vinales!
01:31
Bagnaia salvages 5th on his final lap.
01:29
Martin brushes off the front-end slide to blast into pole position by a massive 0.695s from Vinales on his next lap!
01:28
Francesco Bagnaia has also joined Martin and Bastianini on the hard front tyre.
01:27
Martin has a front end scare through Lukey Heights and has to back off.
01:26
Enea Bastianini joins Jorge Martin in running the hard front tyre, delaying his exit from the pits.
The other riders stick with their previous soft or medium fronts.
01:25
6mins to go, qualifying order so far:
Maverick Vinales, Jorge Martin, Marc Marquez, Raul Fernandez, Francesco Bagnaia, Alex Marquez, Marco Bezzecchi, Franco Morbidelli, Enea Bastianini, Brad Binder, Alex Rins, Fabio di Giannantonio.
Still no news on di Giannantonio after the earlier incident.
01:24
Replays show Marc Marquez sliding through Stoner corner.
Riders peel in for their mid-session tyre change.
01:22
Aprilia's Maverick Vinales sets the first 1m 27s of the day, Marc Marquez climbs to third behind Martin.
01:21
No replays of the di Giannantonio incident but the yellow flags have been brought in.
Martin improves again to a 1m 28.365s.
01:19
Martin goes fastest, but Fabio di Giannantonio is feared to have fallen at the fearsome Turn 1, with yellow flags being waved.
01:17
Title leader Jorge Martin has gone straight for the hard front slick, the only rider to do so.
01:16
Marc Marquez was fastest in the dry on Friday and then in the wet this morning, can he continue that form in qualifying?
01:16
Qualifying 2 begins.
No question about tyre choice, with slicks for all.
01:12
Qualifying 2 line-up
Raul Fernandez and Enea Bastianini join the Friday top ten:
Marc MARQUEZ
Alex MARQUEZ
Marco BEZZECCHI
Jorge MARTIN
Francesco BAGNAIA
Maverick VIÑALES
Brad BINDER
Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO
Franco MORBIDELLI
Alex RINS
01:07
Qualifying 1 over.
The last laps are indeed the best with Raul Fernandez shooting to the top and heading to Qualifying 2 alongside Enea Bastianini.
Luca Marini, Johann Zarco, Pedro Acosta and local star Jack Miller all miss out.
01:04
Jack Appleyard in pitlane is reporting that local star Jack Miller has hit a rabbit or hare.
Miller shrugs off the impact and moves into second with 1min to go.
01:03
Acosta responds with the first 1m 29s lap of the day.
