Trackhouse, Raul Fernandez claim maiden MotoGP victory at Phillip Island

The 2025 Australian MotoGP race saw Trackhouse Aprilia’s Raul Fernandez claim maiden MotoGP victory as Marco Bezzecchi rebounded from a double long-lap penalty to finish on the podium.

Fernandez’s triumph marked an extraordinary milestone as his first premier class win combined with a historic achievement for Trackhouse Racing as well as Aprilia’s 300th Grand Prix victory, reinforcing their status as the most successful European manufacturer in Grand Prix racing history.

Starting from fifth on the grid, Raul Fernandez capitalized on an explosive start and quickly positioned himself within striking distance of the front runners.

Meanwhile, race favorite and Saturday’s sprint winner Marco Bezzecchi had initially taken second place on the grid after a sensational qualifying, closely shadowing pole position holder Fabio Quartararo.

Bezzecchi executed a daring move at the start to overtake Quartararo before the first corner, as Fernandez and KTM’s rising star Pedro Acosta followed suit.

Acosta used the slipstream advantage on the straight to take second from Fernandez, but ran wide a couple of turns later which allowed the Trackhouse rider to reclaim second place, as Bezzecchi extended his gap at the front.

However, Bezzecchi’s race was hampered by a double long-lap penalty imposed for causing collision with newly crowned world champion Marc Marquez in Indonesia two weeks ago.

With Bezzecchi forced to slow down for his long-lap penalties, Fernandez seized the lead with composed determination and quickly built a gap of over three seconds that he maintained with meticulous tyre management—crucial on Phillip Island’s demanding layout.

The severe sanction ultimately saw Trackhouse and Raul Fernandez claim maiden MotoGP victory with a commanding lead of 1.418 seconds over second-place finisher Fabio Di Giannantonio.

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Di Giannantonio held firm to the runner-up spot despite intense pressure from Bezzecchi whose resilience was rewarded with a podium finish as well.

Behind them, Alex Marquez held onto fourth with a solid ride, closely followed by Pedro Acosta and Honda’s Luca Marini, highlighting a dynamic mix of manufacturers and riding styles at the front of the pack.

Other notable performances included Alex Rins who marked the leading Yamaha in seventh. KTM’s trio of Brad Binder, Enea Bastianini and Pol Espargaro rounded out the top ten, demonstrating the depth of talent and machine parity at Phillip Island.

Fabio Quartararo who had set a record-breaking pole time on Saturday struggled to maintain his early pace and faded to 11th while Miguel Oliveira followed in 12th for Pramac Yamaha.

Among the rookies, Trackhouse Aprilia’s Ai Ogura completed the race in 13th place showing grit and composure returning from a wrist injury earlier in the season. Fermin Aldeguer continued to impress in 14th for Gresini, while seasoned rider Franco Morbidelli finished a disappointing 15th.

Aprilia replacement rider Lorenzo Savadori took 16th ahead of rookie Somkiat Chantra who finished 17th after making an unusual tyre choice with Ducati test rider Michele Pirro completing the points finishers in 18th.

The race’s attrition was evident, with four riders failing to finish. Notably, home favorite Jack Miller suffered an early crash after losing the front end of his Pramac Yamaha M1 on lap 5, dashing any hopes of a home victory.

Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia, despite starting with a grid penalty, was pushing hard but ultimately retired in the closing stages after suffering a crash at Siberia corner.

Joan Mir and Johann Zarco were the other non-finishers, underscoring the challenging conditions and fierce competition on the track.

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