World Superbike runner-up Nicolo Bulega will replace injured MotoGP champion Marc Marquez in the final two rounds of the season in Portugal and Valencia, Ducati said on Friday.

Marquez has brought his season to an early close after suffering a collarbone injury at the Indonesian Grand Prix earlier this month, a week after winning his seventh premier class crown at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Ducati's test rider Michele Pirro had replaced Marquez at the Grands Prix in Australia and Malaysia, but Ducati decided Bulega, who tested their bike in Jerez, will make his premier class debut.

"I'm very happy to be able to end a season like this one with a last-minute surprise. Making the MotoGP debut is the dream of any kid who aspires to become a rider," Bulega said.

"Plus, being able to ride the World Champion bike for the final two races of the 2025 makes everything even more exciting."

 

Nicolo Bulega gets a call-up to MotoGP!

The WorldSBK runner up will replace Marc Marquez at the Portuguese and Valencia GP's #MotoGP pic.twitter.com/eFJ5fZVWz6

— TNT Sports Bikes (@bikesontnt) October 31, 2025

 

Bulega was a contender for the World Superbike title with Aruba Racing but the 26-year-old lost out in the final round to Toprak Razgatlioglu, who claimed his third title ahead of his switch to MotoGP next season.

"Nicolo has been part of the Ducati Corse family since 2022, when we wanted him to ride the Supersport bike," Ducati general manager Luigi Dall'Igna said.

"We believed in him and he repaid us with two seasons as an absolute protagonist in Superbike, where he came close to the title and became our reference point as a rider."

Swiss Moto3 rider Noah Dettwiler, who suffered a serious crash at the Malaysian MotoGP over the weekend, is in a stable condition but remains critical, his team and family announced on Monday.

"Noah has undergone several surgeries in the last few hours, which went well," read a statement on X.

"According to the doctors in charge, his condition is stable but still critical."

The Moto3 race at Sepang on Sunday was delayed and shortened after the collision involving newly crowned world champion Jose Antonio Rueda and 20-year-old Dettwiler during the sighting lap.

Both riders, who were conscious following the incident, were airlifted to hospital.

Rueda, a 19-year-old Spaniard, suffered a suspected hand fracture.

Moto3 is the "lightweight" or entry class in the world championship, behind Moto2 and MotoGP, which is regarded as the pinnacle of the sport.

MotoGP is heading into the final two races of the season with Marc Márquez looking to extend his streak of “perfect weekends” or break Rossi’s all-time win record.

Álex Márquez and Francesco Bagnaia for second place in the championship will battle for second place.

Álex has a strong cushion, but Bagnaia could close the gap with podiums in Portugal and Valencia.

There is only one place to watch the drama unfold - every single race is LIVE on SuperSport, your World of Champions. Click on the banner below to sign up.

There are 22 races in total, with a new destination in Hungary and a return to Brno in the Czech Republic. With sprints at every race, there are a record 814 points up for grabs.

The calendar for the season is as follows, with viewing times for the next couple of races:

CALENDAR 2025 (all times CAT, GMT+2)

NEXT UP:

Sunday, 9 November
Portugal GP, Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, Portimão

REMAINDER OF THE SEASON:

Sunday, 16 November 2025
Valencia GP, Circuit de la Comunitat Valenciana, Valencia

COMPLETED RACES

1. THAILAND - 2 March

• Full race report and video highlights from Thailand
  

2. ARGENTINA: 16 March 

• Full race report and video highlights from Argentina
  

3. AMERICAS: 30 March

• Full race report and video highlights from Americas
  

4. QATAR: 13 April

• Full race report and video highlights from Qatar
  

5. Spain: 27 April

• Full race report and video highlights from Spain
  

6. France: 11 May

• Full race report and video highlights from France
  

7. Silverstone: 25 May

• Full race report and video highlights from Silverstone
  

8. Aragon: 8 June

• Full race report and video highlights from Silverstone
  

9. Italy: 22 June

• Full race report and video highlights from Mugello
  

10. Dutch: 29 June

• Full race report and video highlights from Assen
  

11. German: 13 July

• Full race report and video highlights from Germany
  

12. Czech: 20 July

• Full race report and video highlights from Czech
  

13. Austria: 17 August

• Full race report and video highlights from Austria
  

14. Hungary: 24 August

• Full race report and video highlights from Hungary
  

15. Barcelona: 7 September

• Full race report and video highlights from Barcelona
  

16. San Marino: 13 September

• Full race report and video highlights from San Marino
  

17. Japan:  28 September

• Full race report and video highlights from Japan
  

18. Indonesia:  5 October

• Full race report and video highlights from Indonesia
  

19. Australia:  19 October

• Full race report and video highlights from Australia
  

20. Malaysia:  26 October

• Full race report and video highlights from Malaysia
  

----- TEAMS -----

Ducati Lenovo Team
Marc Marquez
Francesco Bagnaia

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
Pedro Acosta
Brad Binder ***

Aprilia Racing
Marco Bezzecchi
Jorge Martin

Aprilia Racing
Marco Bezzecchi
Jorge Martin

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP
Fabio Quartararo
Alex Rins

Honda
Luca Marini
Joan Mir

Pertamina Enduro VR46
Fabio di Giannantonio
Franco Morbidelli

Gresini Racing MotoGP
Alex Marquez
Fermin Aldeguer

Prima Pramac Racing
Miguel Oliveira
Jack Miller

LCR Honda Castrol
Johann Zarco

LCR Honda Idemitsu
Somkiat Chantra

Trackhouse Racing
Raul Fernandez
Ai Ogura

Red Bull KTM Tech3
Maverick Vinales
Enea Bastianini

Moto3 rider Noah Dettwiler will require multiple surgeries after being airlifted to hospital following a high-speed collision at the Malaysian Grand Prix, his team said on Sunday.

Jose Antonio Rueda ran into the back of the 20-year-old CIP Green Power rider during the sighting lap before the race at the Sepang International Circuit, with Dettwiler flying off his motorcycle and landing heavily on the asphalt.

Both riders received treatment on the track and were taken to hospital by helicopter, with the race delayed by more than an hour.

"He was taken to the hospital in Kuala Lumpur and will need to undergo multiple surgeries," Dettwiler's team said on social media on Sunday.

"Noah is a true fighter, and the entire CIP Green Power team is right behind him."

 

All our thoughts are with these two - Jose Antonio Rueda and Noah Dettwiler ❤️ pic.twitter.com/VmmNgynJhu

— Crash MotoGP (@crash_motogp) October 26, 2025

 

In an interview with Swiss newspaper Blick, Dettwiler's father Andy said his son was in stable condition after suffering multiple cardiac arrests and losing a lot of blood.

The report added that Dettwiler had sustained injuries to his spleen and lungs.

Rueda's Red Bull KTM Ajo team confirmed the Spanish rider had suffered a fracture in his hand but was alert and awake in hospital.

 

An update from CIP Green Power on Noah Dettwiler 🙏#MotoGP #Moto3 #MalaysianGP pic.twitter.com/gMGWI9M4th

— TNT Sports Bikes (@bikesontnt) October 26, 2025

 

A motorcycle racer at the Malaysian MotoGP will need "multiple surgeries" following a serious crash in the Moto3 category on Sunday, his team said.

The Moto3 race at Sepang was delayed and shortened after the nasty collision involving newly crowned world champion Jose Antonio Rueda and Noah Dettwiler during the sighting lap.

Both riders were airlifted to hospital and Dettwiler's team, CIP Green Power, said on social media several hours later that the 20-year-old Swiss "will need to undergo multiple surgeries".

"He is in good hands and we kindly ask you to respect his privacy," the team said, adding he was taken to a hospital in Kuala Lumpur.

"Noah is a true fighter and the entire CIP Green Power team is right behind him."

MotoGP organisers had said that both riders were conscious following the incident.

In an update on the 19-year-old Spaniard Rueda, MotoGP said: "Rueda is awake and alert, with a suspected hand fracture and a number of contusions."

The accident overshadowed race day at Sepang, where Alex Marquez won the MotoGP race.

"My prayers and thoughts are with the Moto3 guys," said the Spaniard.

Moto3 is the "lightweight" or entry class in the world championship, behind Moto2 and MotoGP, which is regarded as the pinnacle of the sport.

Dettwiler competed in his first full season in the Moto3 world championship in 2024 after signing a two-year deal with CIP Green Power.

Alex Marquez dominated the Malaysian MotoGP on Sunday to clinch his third victory of the season, romping home more than two seconds ahead of fellow Spaniard Pedro Acosta.

Marquez, who confirmed his runner-up spot in the world championship this weekend behind brother Marc, won for the first time this year outside Spain following success at the Spanish and Catalan Grand Prix races.

Honda's Joan Mir was third to make it an all-Spanish podium, with Franco Morbidelli and Fabio Quartararo completing the top five.

Newly crowned world champion Marc Marquez was absent because of a season-ending injury.

Alex Marquez called it the "perfect race".

Álex Márquez storms to a third #MotoGP victory this season ⚡🏆#MalaysianGP | #SSMotorsport pic.twitter.com/iJMd5xgohm

— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) October 26, 2025

"It's a really important win for us to celebrate second (in the championship)," said the younger Marquez, 29.

Pole-sitter Francesco Bagnaia, who won Saturday's sprint, started well on a hot and humid Sepang circuit to hold a slender lead in the first lap with Acosta and Marquez in hot pursuit.

Marquez, who started second on the grid, made his move early in the second lap as the Ducati-Gresini star surged past Bagnaia during a sweeping corner, and maintained the lead until the finish line.

"Today the plan was clear," said Marquez.

"We improved the feeling a bit on the warm-up and later on I was clever on the plan to attack Pedro in the first lap and Pecco (Bagnaia) in the second one.

"Then I just tried to manage the tyre towards the end. It was a perfect race and I'm happy for that."

Ducati's Bagnaia had a tailgating Acosta behind him as the front three left the chasing pack behind.

As the race reached the halfway stage, Bagnaia's focus was to fend off intense pressure from Acosta, leaving Marquez to increase his advantage.

Acosta's pressure eventually paid off as the KTM rider found joy on the 13th lap to overtake Bagnaia into second place.

Unperturbed by the battle unfolding behind him, Marquez crossed the finish line in 40 min 09.249 sec.

Bagnaia's afternoon ended with a bike issue late on that left him unable to finish the race.

'PRAYERS' AFTER CRASH

Earlier, the Moto3 race was delayed and shortened after a nasty collision involving newly crowned world champion Jose Antonio Rueda and Noah Dettwiler during the sighting lap.

Both riders were airlifted to hospital but were conscious.

"My prayers and thoughts are with the Moto3 guys," said Marquez.

MotoGP organisers subsequently gave an update on social media about the 19-year-old Spaniard Rueda.

It said: "Rueda is awake and alert, with a suspected hand fracture and a number of contusions."

There was no immediate news on the condition of Switzerland's Dettwiler.

Italy's Francesco Bagnaia won the Malaysian MotoGP sprint with a dominant performance Saturday while Alex Marquez was runner-up to seal second in the world championship behind brother Marc.

Ducati's Bagnaia led from pole and crossed the finish line in 19min 53.725sec at Sepang, as Marquez came home 2.259sec behind to create a historic family one-two in the driver standings.

The 29-year-old Ducati-Gresini rider hailed the achievement as a "perfect year" for the Marquez family.

"We cannot ask for anything more," he said.

"We were on the podium many times in first and second, and we need to enjoy it because it’s a unique moment in our lives.

"I spoke to Marc for a moment and told him we need to celebrate and have a big party together."

A very meaningful #TissotSprint ended with these riders getting points 👀#MalaysianGP 🇲🇾 pic.twitter.com/n0EemlTwbx

— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) October 25, 2025

Newly crowned world champion Marc Marquez was not racing because of injury and will miss the rest of the season after suffering a collarbone injury in Indonesia this month.

Fermin Aldeguer was third with Pedro Acosta and Franco Morbidelli completing the top five.

The two-time world champion Bagnaia, who secured pole for the third consecutive year at Sepang, launched off to a smooth start to lead the race from wire to wire.

Marquez was hot on his heels but the Spaniard was made to work hard to regain second place after he briefly dropped to third.

As the rest of the field jostled for position, Bagnaia was in a class of his own to secure victory over the 10 laps.

Bagnaia's triumph was redemption for last year’s sprint heartbreak, which saw him suffer a crash after setting a lap record in qualifying.

The Ducati ace, 28, who has now climbed to third in the world championship standings, paid tribute to his team.

"The team deserves the victory for the hard work they are doing. Honestly, I am just here to push. When I am feeling good, I have races like this.

"When I’m not performing well, I’m just screaming in the garage," said Bagnaia.

The main race is on Sunday with Bagnaia on pole.

Italian Francesco Bagnaia claimed pole position at the Malaysian MotoGP after the Ducati ace clocked the fastest qualifying time ahead of Spaniard Alex Marquez on Saturday.

The 28-year-old two-time world champion topped the timesheets with 1min 57.001sec to secure a third consecutive pole at Sepang.

Bagnaia had earlier finished in the top two of the first qualifiers to contend for pole just minutes later, which he successfully secured for his third pole of 2025.

🔥 @PeccoBagnaia BACK WITH A BANG for his 3rd pole of 2025#MalaysianGP 🇲🇾 pic.twitter.com/agdodb55Us

— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) October 25, 2025

Marquez will be optimistic of his chances of sealing the runner-up prize in the overall standings with the Ducati-Gresini rider starting second on the grid after clocking 1:57.017.

Italy's Franco Morbidelli will assume third place for the sprint and Sunday's main event after his lap of 1:57.159, ahead of Fabio Quartararo, who briefly topped the timesheets.

KTM stalwart Pedro Acosta completes the top five despite a crash.

Bagnaia will be pleased with his overall performance to secure pole, despite not coming close to outdoing his lap record set last year.

The Ducati rider had clocked 1:56.337 at the Sepang track last year on his way to winning the 2024 Malaysian GP.

This year's Sepang spectacle is without newly crowned world champion Marc Marquez, who has been ruled out for the remainder of the season with injury.

Spaniard Pedro Acosta mastered the moody Malaysian weather to snatch the fastest time ahead of Frenchman Johann Zarco in a chaotic second practice on Friday for the MotoGP at Sepang.

The hour-long afternoon session was delayed for 35 minutes because of an oil spill from a support category earlier in the day.

After they finally got going the KTM stalwart Acosta made his move with less than three minutes left to clock 1min 57.559sec, just ahead of Zarco in 1:57.578.

Australian Jack Miller finished in the top three thanks to a late flourish which saw him clock 1:57.840 on his Yamaha Prima Pramac machine.

Spain's Alex Marquez, who is hoping to seal second spot in the world championship behind brother Marc, was ninth for Ducati-Gresini.

Spanish rookie Fermin Aldeguer, who topped the morning session, missed out on a top-10 finish after he came in 13th, behind Ducati's two-time world champion Francesco Bagnaia.

This means both men will compete in Saturday's first qualifying session.

The 10 fastest riders from the Friday session went into Saturday's second qualifying, joined by the top two fastest riders from the first qualifier.

Dark clouds loomed over the Sepang circuit with threats of thunderstorms that brought the 23-rider field into their respective pits towards the end of the session.

But the skies cleared up soon enough to allow the riders to go out in hopes of capturing their fastest lap.

The Malaysian MotoGP is without newly crowned world champion Marc Marquez, who has been ruled out for the remainder of the season with injury.

Newly-crowned MotoGP champion Marc Marquez has brought his triumphant season to an early close after suffering a collarbone injury at the Indonesian Grand Prix earlier this month, his team Ducati said on Thursday.

A week after winning his seventh premier class title at the Japanese Grand Prix, Marquez suffered the injury in a collision with Aprilia's Marco Bezzecchi on the opening lap of the Indonesian Grand Prix.

The 32-year-old Spaniard was expected to return for the last two rounds of the season in Portugal and Valencia.

Although the medical team confirmed the evolution of Marquez's injury is proceeding normally, Ducati said his season is over as he will have to spend four weeks with his arm completely immobilised before beginning rehabilitation.

BREAKING: @marcmarquez93 will not take part in the #ValenciaGP 🏁 and the #ValenciaTest to focus on his recovery ❤️‍🩹#MotoGP pic.twitter.com/1fUSV2taXS

— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) October 23, 2025

"Analysing the entire situation, we believe that the most appropriate, clever and consistent course of action is to respect the biological timing of the injury, even if that means I will no longer be able to race this season," Marquez said.

"We know that a difficult winter awaits us, with a lot of work, to recover my muscles to 100 per cent and be ready for 2026.

"This must not overshadow or make us forget the great goal we achieved this year: becoming world champions again, and soon we will all celebrate it together."

Ducati's test rider Michele Pirro replaced Marquez at the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island but the Italian manufacturer has not yet confirmed whether he will also race in the final two rounds.

Marquez still has a healthy lead of 166 points over his brother Alex of Gresini Racing, who is fighting for second in the championship. Italy's Marco Bezzecchi has moved up to third, 97 points behind Alex.

The 2025 season ends on November 16 in Valencia, with Ducati confirming that Marquez will also miss the post-season test in Cheste.

"It's a shame because it's very important for us to have him on track," Ducati General Manager Luigi Dall'Igna said.

"But we know perfectly that the priority is to recover and return 100 per cent fit for the next season."

Spain's Raul Fernandez surged to a maiden MotoGP victory in Australia on Sunday while Alex Marquez finished fourth to shore up his bid to finish the season second in the world championship.

On an overcast day at Phillip Island, the Aprilia rider benefited from two long lap penalties served by a flying Marco Bezzecchi to take the chequered flag 1.418sec clear of Ducati's Fabio Di Giannantonio.

Aprilia's Bezzecchi, who won the 13-lap sprint on Saturday, came third to fill out the podium.

KTM's Pedro Acosta was fifth ahead of Luca Marini on a Honda and Yamaha's Alex Rins, while Spanish rookie Fermin Aldeguer, who won the MotoGP in Indonesia a fortnight ago, finished 14th.

While Fernandez, in his 76th grand prix, stole the glory, Marquez all but sealed runner-up spot to his injured brother Marc in the world championship with three races to go.

The Spanish Gresini rider's fourth earned him 13 points to be 97 clear of Bezzechhi with a maximum 111 at stake in the final three meetings of the 22-stop year – in Malaysia, Portugal and Spain.

Ducati's two-time world champion Francesco Bagnaia crashed out with four laps left to cap a miserable weekend.

He struggled all weekend with unexplained shaking of his bike, a problem he also experienced in Indonesia after winning both the sprint and grand prix in Japan a week earlier.

With no points to show, he has slid behind Bezzecchi to fourth in the standings.

Marc Marquez was crowned world champion in Japan, but is not in Australia after Bezzecchi slammed into him in Indonesia, an incident that left the Spaniard needing shoulder surgery.

Bezzecchi was slapped with a double long lap penalty – essentially five-to-six seconds – to be served Sunday for causing the accident, and it cost him victory.

He stormed clear at the opening corner, and by the end of lap one was leading from Fernandez and Acosta, with polesitter Fabio Quartararo down to fourth.

The Italian opened a 1.2sec gap before taking his first long lap penalty on lap five, emerging in third.

He took the second penalty the following lap, coming back in sixth with a 2.8sec gap to leader Fernandez which slowly got bigger as Bezzecchi got stuck in traffic.

By lap 10, Fernandez was pulling clear of Acosta, a lead he built on as the race progressed with an expected counter-attack from Bezzecchi not materialising.

Home hope Jack Miller, who started from third, crashed out early in the race, as did Frenchman Johann Zarco and Honda's Joan Mir.

Frenchman Fabio Quartararo said his pole position at the Australian Grand Prix was "really special" after the Yamaha rider shattered the lap record at Phillip Island on Saturday, narrowly beating Aprilia's Marco Bezzecchi to the top spot.

Quartararo clocked a stunning time of one minute and 26.465 seconds, edging Italian Bezzecchi by 0.031 seconds to claim his fifth pole position of the season.

The 26-year-old last earned pole at the Dutch Grand Prix in June.

"Really nice. It was a long time since Assen!" Quartararo said. "Today is a really special one because I didn't feel ready to make really a 26.4. The goal was to make 26.7. So, I'm super happy.

"Also, I think our pace is not so bad.

"So, focus on the sprint and let's try to make a great first lap, which will be really important."

Bezzecchi, who looked dominant in practice sessions, setting the previous lap record of 1:26.492 at Phillip Island in MotoGP on Friday, said he was satisfied with Saturday's qualifying result.

The 26-year-old will face a double long lap penalty in Sunday's race following his collision with MotoGP champion Marc Marquez at the Indonesian Grand Prix.

"I'm happy because the target was to reach the first two rows, as always, and we grabbed the first one, so it's even better," Bezzecchi said.

"After yesterday, I was confident that I could do a good lap time ... The conditions were a bit more tough this morning, but the performance was good.

"Now we can focus on the sprint."

Home hope Jack Miller of Prima Pramac thrilled Australian fans by becoming the first local rider since Casey Stoner in 2012 to start on the front row at Phillip Island.

"The Aussie fans are out here in numbers. It's unreal to see," Miller said.

"I'm looking forward to be back on the front row and, honestly, on a bike that we can fight with today and tomorrow.

"Let's see what we can get, we'll try and keep our nose clean."

Spanish duo Raul Fernandez and Pedro Acosta rounded off the top five.

Alex Marquez, second in the riders' championship, secured sixth place, while twice MotoGP champion Francesco Bagnaia will start in a disappointing 11th position in Saturday's sprint and Sunday's main event.

Marco Bezzecchi hit a seagull but still won a white-knuckle Australian MotoGP sprint race on Saturday, while Alex Marquez's sixth-place inched him closer to sealing second in the world championship.

France's Fabio Quartararo threw down the gauntlet in qualifying when he shattered Bezzecchi's Phillip Island lap record set a day earlier to bank his fifth pole of the season.

But the laser-focused Italian, starting from second, simply had too much power in his Aprilia to clinch his third sprint win in the last four races.

He did so despite colliding with a bird at the start, which left feathers hanging from his bike.

Gresini's Marquez stormed from sixth to first at the opening corner, but by the end of lap one it was fellow Aprilia rider Raul Fernandez closely followed by Bezzecchi with Quartararo down to sixth.

They opened a gap to Marquez before Fernandez seemingly took control when Bezzecchi went wide on lap seven, losing a second.

But Bezzecchi regrouped and came surging back, passing the Spaniard on lap 10 and cruising home ahead of him by 3.149secs.

"It was a pretty hard because at the beginning I hit a big bird, unfortunately for him, especially, but also for me, because I got scared," said Bezzecchi.

"But fortunately nothing was was broken on the bike. Then when we started the sprint, I had a lot of fun."

Pedro Acosta filled the podium in third, with Jack Miller fourth and Fabio Di Giannantonio fifth in chilly conditions. Quartararo came seventh.

"I was very relaxed on the bike. I saw Marco had really good pace," said Fernandez. "I tired my maximum, but when I saw that I couldn't follow Marco, I just tried to survive."

Bezzecchi's exploits came in the absence of newly-crowned world champion Marc Marquez, who needed shoulder surgery after the Italian slammed into him in Indonesia a fortnight ago.

Bezzecchi must serve a double long lap penalty – essentially five-to-six seconds – on Sunday for causing the incident, making his chances winning that race much harder.

Alex Marquez, Marc's younger brother, stretched his lead over two-time world champion Francesco Bagnaia in the battle to clinch second in the standings to 92 points.

He needs to be 111 points clear at the end of the weekend to seal the deal.

Bagnaia had another shocking race on the back of a poor outing in Indonesia, starting 11th but slumping to 19th, a massive 32 seconds off the pace.

Spanish rookie Fermin Aldeguer, who won the MotoGP in Indonesia, failed to finish.

With high winds expected this weekend, organisers have pushed back the grand prix by an hour on Sunday to 3pm (4am GMT) in a bid to avoid the worst of the weather.

MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez, who withdrew from the Australian and Malaysian Grand Prix after injuring a shoulder, will also miss the next round in Portugal but could return for the final race of the season, his team said on Friday.

"Seeing him in Valencia is not impossible," Ducati sporting director Mauro Grassilli told Sky Sport Italia.

"Unfortunately, his injury is more serious than we initially expected.

"We have to see how his recovery goes but there is a possibility that he will return in Valencia."

The Spaniard secured his seventh MotoGP title – and his first since 2019 – in Japan last month, but injured his right shoulder when he crashed on the first lap of the Indonesian Grand Prix on 5 October.

He suffered a fracture and injured ligaments and underwent surgery earlier this week.

Marquez had originally been ruled out of this month's Australia and Malaysia MotoGPs, with the Portugal and Valencia races completing the season in November.

The 32-year-old has a long history of injuries, including breaking his right arm at the start of the 2020 season, an injury that almost forced him to retire.

Ducati has ruled out any connection between the two injuries.

Marco Bezzecchi demolished the Australian MotoGP lap record in setting the standard during second practice on Friday, becoming the first rider ever to dip below 1:27 at Phillip Island.

The Italian, who won the Indonesia sprint race a fortnight ago before slamming into world champion Marc Marquez during the grand prix, blazed round the waterfront circuit in 1:26.580 on his Aprilia.

His time shattered the previous best of 1:27.246 set by Jorge Martin in 2023. Not content with that, he then bettered it with a sizzling 1:26.492.

It left Bezzecchi 0.291sec clear of Raul Fernandez, also on an Aprilia, with Ducati-VR4 rider Fabio Di Giannantonio third and Yamaha's Fabio Quartararo fourth.

"An unbelievable lap, he hit the record two times, which means he has confidence with the bike," Aprilia team boss Paolo Bonora said of Bezzecchi.

"To be honest, our bike was good for the past year, but we didn't achieve many results."

Ducati-Gresini's Alex Marquez came fifth, 0.453sec adrift, as he looks to seal the world championship runner-up spot behind brother Marc.

Spain's Marquez has an 88-point lead over two-time world champion Francesco Bagnaia in the battle to clinch second in the standings with four rounds left of the 22-stop season.

He can do so by finishing the weekend 111 points clear of his Italian Ducati rival, who failed to score a point in Indonesia just a week after winning the Japan MotoGP and sprint races.

Bagnaia complained about his bike shaking in the opening session on Friday and again struggled early for pace. But he switched to the spare and steered it to ninth place.

The top 10 times from second practice automatically qualified for Q2 on Saturday, and will be joined by the fastest two riders from Q1 to determine the first five rows of the grid both for the sprint race and Sunday's main event.

Among those relegated to Q1 were Fermin Aldeguer, who won in Indonesia, and home hero Jack Miller, who topped the opening practice session.

Marc Marquez, last year's Phillip Island winner, is not in Australia following shoulder surgery after being rammed by Bezzecchi in Indonesia.

Bezzecchi must serve a double long lap penalty on Sunday for causing the incident, but is free to race as usual in Saturday's sprint showdown.

He was quick all afternoon, owning the fastest lap of 1:27.516 for almost 15 minutes before Di Giannantonio went a fraction quicker.

Teams tried a variety of tyre strategies in a bid to collect data in case of bad weather, and Bezzecchi on a hard front and soft rear then stunned the field with the new lap record.

A wide-open Australian MotoGP is all about the fight to be world championship runner-up, with Alex Marquez on the cusp of sealing the deal at a notoriously unpredictable circuit missing the entire front row from last year.

Prime among those absent this weekend is Marquez's older brother Marc, the 2024 winner at Phillip Island and newly crowned world champion.

He underwent shoulder surgery after a frightening crash at a chaotic Indonesia grand prix a fortnight ago won by Spanish rookie Fermin Aldeguer, with Ducati test rider Michele Pirro replacing him.

Last year's Australian polesitter Jorge Martin (collar bone) and Maverick Vinales (shoulder) are also sidelined, meaning none of the front row from 12 months ago will take part.

That opens the door wider for Spain's Alex Marquez to build on his 88-point lead over Francesco Bagnaia in the battle to be runner-up.

With four rounds left, the Gresini Racing star can clinch second place in the standings if he ends the weekend 111 points clear of his Italian Ducati rival.

"We've achieved the goal of clinching the Best Independent Rider title," said Marquez, who secured the accolade in Indonesia. "And we now aim at the runner-up spot in the world championship."

Anything can happen at the waterfront Phillip Island circuit, where riders are at the whim of often unpredictable weather, and sometimes wildlife, on a demanding track.

Wind and bouts of rain are again forecast.

Bagnaia has always done well in the conditions, with three podiums in succession, and looked to be back to his best in Japan three weeks ago when he won both the sprint and grand prix after a frustrating campaign.

But he had a horror show a week later at Mandalika in Indonesia, qualifying 16th and running at the back in both races.

"In recent years I've always been fast and consistent here, even though without victory," he said of Phillip Island.

"We're coming into this race after a complicated weekend. We're working hard to understand exactly what happened at Mandalika.

"The goal is to get back to the same feeling we had on the track at Motegi."

Martin's Aprilia teammate Marco Bezzecchi still has a slim chance of earning the runner-up spot, but he needs Marquez to implode.

Bezzecchi was in imperious form in Indonesia, claiming pole and taking out the sprint honours before slamming into the rear of Marc Marquez on the opening lap of the grand prix.

While Marquez needed surgery Bezzecchi was cleared of serious injury after a hospital check, but he has been slapped with a double long lap penalty for this weekend.

"The fight for third in the championship is still wide open and I know that if I can shake off these knocks, I'll be really competitive again," he said.

"And for sure, the fire to bounce back – learning from this episode (Marquez crash) and growing from it is 100 per cent there."

Marc Marquez on Monday underwent a successful operation at the Ruber Internacional Hospital in Madrid, Spain.

The Ducati Lenovo Team and world champion had a checkup for his right shoulder blade injury following his crash in Indonesia early this month.

Already smiling after a successful surgery 😁

Speedy recovery, Marc! 💪#MotoGP pic.twitter.com/oNYNcJygtY

— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) October 13, 2025

The medical team, who already examined Marquez seven days earlier, found that the coracoid fracture and ligament damage were not showing sufficient signs of stabilisation after a week of being immobilised, which was the initial treatment plan.

Therefore, given the risk of residual instability, it was decided to go ahead with surgical stabilisation and repair the acromioclavicular ligaments.

Surgery was one of the options considered by doctors from the outset in the event that the planned conservative treatment failed. With the operation now successfully undertaken and Marquez already at home, the #93 will continue his recovery process.

His progress will determine the timing of his return to racing competition, with test rider Michele Pirro subbing this weekend in Australia.

Ducati's test rider Michele Pirro will replace injured MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez at the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island next week, the team announced on Friday.

Marquez, who clinched his seventh MotoGP crown at the Japanese Grand Prix last month, will miss the next two rounds after suffering a fracture and ligament injury to his right shoulder in a crash at the Indonesian Grand Prix last weekend.

"Following the injury that has forced Marc Marquez to miss the next two round of the 2025 MotoGP season, Ducati Lenovo Team confirms that Michele Pirro will replace him at the Aussie appointment," Ducati said in a statement.

Ducati did not say if Pirro would also race at the Malaysian Grand Prix later this month. The 39-year-old last raced in MotoGP in the 2024 season's final round for the VR46 Racing team.

Marquez is expected to return for the final two races of the season in Portugal and Valencia next month.

Newly-crowned world champion Marc Marquez was on Monday ruled out of the next two races after suffering a fracture and ligament injury to his right shoulder in the Indonesia MotoGP race.

The Spaniard was shunted off his Ducati at high speed on the first lap of the Indonesia MotoGP on Sunday.

Ducati said the Spaniard had "suffered a fracture at the base of the coracoid process and a ligament injury to his right shoulder," but ruled out any connection with a previous shoulder injury.

Marquez's medical team in Madrid have "opted for a conservative treatment plan, involving rest and immobilisation of the affected shoulder until it is fully healed and the fracture is clinically consolidated," Ducati said.

This rules Marquez out of the Grand Prix in Australia (October 17-19) and another at Malaysia (October 24-26).

That leaves two more races at Portugal (November 07-09) and Valencia (November 14-16) of the 22 race program.

"Fortunately, the injury isn't severe, but it's important to respect the recovery timeline," said Marquez, who wrapped up a seventh world title the previous week in Japan.

"My goal is to be back before the end of the season, but without rushing things beyond the doctors' recommendations. Both my personal and the team's main goals have been achieved, so now the priority is to recover properly and return at 100 per cent."

The incident happened when Aprilia's Marco Bezzecchi, who started the race on pole, slammed into the back of him as he tried to regain lost ground at the Mandalika circuit in Lombok.

It sent both riders flying into the gravel and rookie Fermin Aldeguer went on to win a chaotic grand prix.

Marquez and Italian Bezzecchi both walked gingerly away from the crash, but the Spaniard was clutching his shoulder.

The 32-year-old Marquez will undergo weekly check-ups and his progress will determine the final recovery time and his return to competition, the team said.

The Spaniard has a long history of injuries, including breaking his right arm in 2020, almost forcing him to retire.

He sealed the world crown at Motegi in Japan last weekend with five events to spare.

It was his first MotoGP world title since 2019.

Newly crowned world champion Marc Marquez fears "something is broken" after being shunted off his Ducati at high speed on the first lap of the Indonesia MotoGP on Sunday.

The incident happened when Aprilia's Marco Bezzecchi, who started the race on pole, slammed into the back of him as he tried to regain lost ground at the Mandalika circuit in Lombok.

It sent both riders flying into the gravel and rookie Fermin Aldeguer went on to win a chaotic grand prix.

Marquez and Italian Bezzecchi both walked gingerly away from the crash, but the Spanish seven-time world champion was clutching his shoulder.

Marquez "suffered an injury to his right collarbone" and will fly to Madrid for medical tests, his Ducati team said on social media, with fears he may have a fracture.

According to @ducaticorse's Team Manager, there is evidence of a fracture on @marcmarquez93's right shoulder ❌#IndonesianGP 🇮🇩 pic.twitter.com/3kiLIhshKj

— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) October 5, 2025

"Something is broken, I can feel," the 32-year-old said in a video released by the official MotoGP site.

"This is racing and these things happen," he added.

"It's true that this time it was not my mistake... already Marco Bezzecchi came to me and said sorry.

"Unlucky for me... we will go back to Madrid, listen to what the doctors have to say and then try to recover in a good way as soon as possible."

Marquez tweeted a picture of himself with his arm and shoulder in a sling.

Not the best way to celebrate the championship, but this is racing. Today we’ll fly to Madrid and the doctors will evaluate everything.
Please, no hard feelings towards Marco, nobody does it on purpose.
Thanks for all your support ❤️🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/wM6Ep7T7es

— Marc Márquez (@marcmarquez93) October 5, 2025

He has a long history of injuries, including breaking his right arm in 2020, almost forcing him to hang up his helmet.

He put all that aside this season to clinch his seventh world title in dominant fashion.

He sealed the world crown at Motegi in Japan last weekend with five events to spare.

It was his first MotoGP world title since 2019.