Sports · Motorsport · 56 mins ago
Rain and poor visibility delay Australian MotoGP at Phillip Island
Heavy rain and poor visibility delayed Sunday's MotoGP action at Phillip Island in Australia.
The medical helicopter could not fly safely in the conditions, so racing could not begin.
MotoGP cancelled the scheduled warm-up, and no track action is expected before 1pm local time.
Moto3 and Moto2 were scheduled for 11am and 12:15pm, but whether they will go ahead is uncertain.
The MotoGP race is scheduled to start at 2pm, though the weather may disrupt the schedule.
The forecast calls for up to 35mm of rain and winds reaching 35 km/h.
MotoGP planned another update for 12:30pm local time as organisers assessed conditions.
Rain and poor visibility delayed Sunday’s Australian MotoGP at Phillip Island, preventing the medical helicopter from operating.
The warm-up session was cancelled after its scheduled 9:40am start was postponed.
Reports gave different earliest times for track action: some initially said 1pm, while Motorsport.com later reported there would be no action before 3pm local time.
MotoGP said the premier-class Grand Prix would take place first once track action could begin.
Moto3 and Moto2 races were also scheduled for Sunday, but their status was uncertain.
- Who
- MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 riders scheduled to race at the Australian Grand Prix.
- What
- Rain and poor visibility delayed track action, and the MotoGP warm-up was cancelled.
- When
- Sunday, 25 October 2026. The races were scheduled to begin from 11am local time, with MotoGP at 2pm.
- Where
- Phillip Island, Victoria, Australia.
- Why
- Reduced visibility prevented the medical helicopter from operating; championship rules require it to be on standby in case a rider needs airlifting to hospital.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Showers arrived in the morning but cleared in time for the afternoon Sprint race, which Marc Marquez won.
The third Australian Superbike Championship race of the weekend was abandoned.
The MotoGP warm-up was scheduled to begin, but was delayed and later cancelled.
Moto3 was scheduled to race, but reports said there would be no track action before at least 1pm.
Motorsport.com reported that MotoGP had confirmed there would be no track action before 3pm local time.
- Venue
- Phillip Island, Victoria
- Warm-up
- Scheduled for 9:40am local time; cancelled
- Moto3
- Scheduled for 11:00am local time
- Moto2
- Scheduled for 12:15pm local time
- MotoGP
- Scheduled for 2:00pm local time
- Rain forecast
- 15–35mm of rain on Sunday, according to the Bureau of Meteorology
4 sources
What people are saying
Poor visibility continues to affect the operation of the medical helicopter at the Red Bull Grand Prix of Australia. It is now confirmed there will be no track action before 3pm local time
There is no imminent improvement in visibility forecast at the Australian GP, therefore track action will not commence before 13:00 local time