MotoGP riders expressed regret over a sad end to a beautiful circuit, as all track action was called off due to poor weather conditions at Phillip Island.
It was a sad way to bid farewell to one of the jewels of the MotoGP calendar before the Australian GP transitions to Adelaide in 2027. There was no track action at all on Sunday at Phillip Island, as limited visibility prevented the Australian GP from going ahead. This marks MotoGP’s first same-day cancellation since the 2018 British GP at Silverstone in 2018 and a heartbreaking end to Phillip Island’s final roar.
Australian GP called off due to low visibility
Although the weather forecast had been closely monitored throughout the weekend, Race Direction decided against moving the main Grand Prix to Saturday, a contingency measure previously deployed at the circuit in 2023, as the morning’s dense fog and extreme visibility issues were not fully anticipated. Following multiple delays across Sunday morning and afternoon, the race was officially cancelled when safety officials confirmed the medical helicopter was unable to take off.
A disappointing outcome for the fans
The decision came as a heavy blow to the thousands of dedicated fans who braved downpours for hours in the hopes of seeing racing.
“I’m especially sorry for all the fans who came to the circuit and waited through the delays hoping to see us race,” Fabio Quartararo insisted. “It was nice that we still had the chance to greet them and thank them for their support.”
“I’m a bit disappointed,” Enea Bastianini echoed. “It’s not nice to leave Phillip Island like this, but we still had the chance to say hello to everybody. I want to say thanks to all the fans for coming here on a day like this, with the rain.”
Phillip Island deserved a better send-off
The sentiment across the paddock was unanimous: this abrupt shutdown was far from the sending-off the historic circuit deserved. Ahead of the venue’s final Grand Prix, riders had already voiced their sadness at departing a track revered for its sweeping coastline, high-speed layout, and legendary battles. While unpredictable coastal weather has long been part of Phillip Island’s mystique, on Sunday it proved fatal to the event, reducing what should have been an epic farewell to a single ceremonial parade lap.
“I love Phillip Island so much, so I made the entire parade lap in tears,” Fabio Di Giannantonio confessed. “It’s always amazing to see all these people; it’s wonderful to see their passion and the full grandstands despite the bad weather. It’s a pity to say goodbye in this way, […] it was amazing to race here.”
The emotional weight was especially heavy for local hero Jack Miller, who was set to compete in his final home Grand Prix as a full-time MotoGP rider.
“It’s a tough one to swallow,” Miller admitted on social media, adding that he was “pretty bloody gutted.”
To Marc Marquez, a four-time winner around here, this was “not the farewell Phillip Island deserved,” he wrote on Instagram. “Today’s race was cancelled as the medical helicopter couldn’t fly. A sad way to say goodbye to such a special circuit.”
Binder, Miller and Morbidelli to race at Phillip Island in 2027
While equally bummed that his final laps aboard a MotoGP machine at the island happened in such conditions, Brad Binder is among a trio of current riders, alongside Miller and Franco Morbidelli, who will return to the ocean-front venue soon when WorldSBK visits the circuit.
“I feel sorry for the people that sat in the rain from 8am,” the KTM official said. “I hope I can see them again in February!”
Still, the island’s final roar was a timid one. It is a bitter end for a venue that delivered some of MotoGP’s most exciting racing over more than three decades.
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