The Australian Grand Prix weekend had it all. There was the usual wild Phillip Island weather, which led to a cancelled session on Friday but at least didn’t interfere with the schedule as it had in 2023.
Marc Marquez overcame yet another self-inflicted drama – this time a tear-off getting stuck beneath his tyre at the start – to win what has to rank as the most satisfying grand prix of his first season on a Ducati. He beat Jorge Martin in a genuine duel, complete with place-swapping to thrill those who had braved the chilly weather and travelled to the island.
With Martin winning the sprint on Sunday, and Francesco Bagnaia emerging with a relatively modest fourth and third from the sprint and grand prix respectively, the gap between Martin and Bagnaia has doubled to 20 points.
Here are seven things we learned from the 2024 Australian Grand Prix.
1. Marc Marquez keeps getting better
Marquez took another win despite a mardy start and his year-old machinery
Photo by: Red Bull / Gold and Goose
The victory at Aragon at the start of September was an emotional one for Marquez. It was his first on a Ducati, after several months of trying – and it came at home in Spain. But it wasn’t entirely unexpected, given it was a low-grip circuit that suited the Marquez package. Nor was any elbow-to-elbow fighting required to seal it, as he rode clear of the field.
When he won next time out at Misano, it was a tailor-made situation for the eight-time world champion. Uncertain weather is exactly what the Gresini rider wants in order to challenge the latest GP24 machines. And that’s what he got when it spat with rain in Italy. He even admitted he wouldn’t have won without the weather factor.
But Phillip Island? A challenging test of rider skill, yes, but a track that had been resurfaced. Nobody was complaining about a lack of grip on the Australian GP weekend. And although the weather did interfere with the untimed sessions, it was dry for Practice, Q2 and the races.
Marquez also had to conquer a powerful rival in wheel-to-wheel combat to win in Australia. Martin, remember, had secured pole position by over half a second on Saturday. And Marquez had had to concede defeat to him after misjudging the first corner in the sprint.
But come Sunday, not even dropping to 13th – after inflicting a terrible getaway on himself by throwing a tear-off under his tyre – could keep Marquez down. Looking after rubber was a factor in…
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