Less than seven days after Pecco Bagnaia’s win in the last Indonesian GP following an incredible comeback from thirteenth on the grid, the Ducati Lenovo Team returns to the track this weekend at Phillip Island, Australia, to tackle the sixteenth round of the 2023 MotoGP World Championship.
At the famous track located just over an hour from Melbourne, the reigning World Champion arrives again as the Championship leader with an 18-point advantage over Jorge Martín (Pramac Racing Team). With a third place in Australia last year, Pecco completed a remarkable comeback, becoming the new leader after finding himself -91 points behind Quartararo in the standings a few months earlier, thus staking his claim on the World Title when there were only 2 GPs remaining before the end of the season.
Enea Bastianini, fresh off the back of a positive weekend in Indonesia on his return from injury, hopes to find also at Phillip Island the same feeling he had on his Desmosedici GP in last Sunday’s race.
Francesco Bagnaia (#1, Ducati Lenovo Team) – 1st (346 points)
“I’m excited to be back racing in Australia, a fast track where we have the potential to do well. Last weekend, my team did an incredible job, putting me in a position to win after a complicated start. That’s why I’m ready to face the weekend here in Australia with any conditions: as always, we expect unpredictable weather, and the temperatures will be quite low”.
Enea Bastianini (#23, Ducati Lenovo Team) – 20th (36 points)
“I’m happy to be back racing at Phillip Island. This will be my second time at this track on a MotoGP bike. Last year, I started from the back, but halfway through the race, I was able to make a good comeback and finish fifth. The goal this weekend will be to repeat a good performance like last weekend in Indonesia. We did a great job with my team, and I had a good race. The goal is to be fast immediately and get a good qualifying position. Physically, I’m still not 100%, but I’m ready to give my best as always”.
The Ducati Lenovo Team riders will take to the track at Phillip Island for FP1 on Friday at 10:45am local time (1:45am Italian time). The Sprint race will take place on Saturday afternoon at 3:00pm (6:00am CEST) over a 13-lap distance, while the GP (27 laps) will be held at 2.00pm on Sunday (5:00am in Italy).
Circuit Information
Country: Australia
Name: Phillip Island
Best lap: M. Márquez (Honda), 1:28.108 (181.7 km/h) – 2013
Circuit Record: Martín (Ducati), 1:27.767 (182.4 km/h) – 2022
Top Speed: Bastianini (Ducati), 356,4 km/h – 2022
Track Length: 4,45 km
Sprint Distance: 13 giri (57.85 km)
Race Distance: 27 laps (120.15 km)
Corners: 12 (7 left, 11 right)
2022 Results
Podium: 1° Rins (Suzuki), 2° M. Márquez (Honda), 3° Bagnaia (Ducati)
Pole Position: Martín (Ducati), 1:27.767 (182.4 km/h)
Fastest Lap: Zarco (Ducati), 1:29.622 (178.6 km/h)
Rider Information
Francesco Bagnaia
Bike: Desmosedici GP
Race Number: 1
GP Starts: 186 (81 x MotoGP, 36 x Moto2, 69 x Moto3)
First GP: Qatar 2019 (MotoGP), Qatar 2017 (Moto2), Qatar 2013 (Moto3)
Wins: 27 (17 MotoGP + 8 Moto2 + 2 Moto3)
Sprint Wins: 4
First GP Win: Aragón 2021 (MotoGP), Qatar 2018 (Moto2), Netherlands 2016 (Moto3)
Pole position: 24 (17 MotoGP + 6 Moto2 + 1 Moto3)
First pole: Qatar 2021 (MotoGP), France 2018 (Moto2), Britain 2016 (Moto3)
World Titles: 2 (MotoGP 2022, Moto2 2018)
Enea Bastianini
Bike: Desmosedici GP
Race Number: 23
GP Starts: 164 (43 x MotoGP, 33 x Moto2, 88 x Moto3)
First GP: Qatar 2021 (MotoGP), Qatar 2019 (Moto2), Qatar 2014 (Moto3)
Wins: 10 (4 MotoGP + 3 Moto2 + 3 Moto3)
First GP Win: Qatar 2022 (MotoGP), Andalucía 2020 (Moto2), San Marino 2015 (Moto3)
Pole position: 10 (1 MotoGP + 9 Moto3)
First pole: Austria 2022 (MotoGP), Catalunya 2015 (Moto3)
World Titles: 1 (Moto2 2020)
Championship Information
Riders’ Standings
Francesco Bagnaia (#1 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 1º (346 points)
Enea Bastianini (#23 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 20° (36 points)
Constructors’ Standings
Ducati – 1º (527 points)
Teams’ Standings
Ducati Lenovo Team – 3º (392 points)
