P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Qualifying results and grid line-up for the Saturday Sprint and main Sunday race at the Australian MotoGP at Phillip Island, round 16 of 20 in the 2023 world championship.
Francesco Bagnaia and Marc Marquez topped Qualifying 1 and advanced to Qualifying 2 with the ten fastest riders from Friday. The main Australian MotoGP race has been moved forward to Saturday due to forecasted strong winds, swapping places with the Sprint race on Sunday. Bagnaia, the reigning champion, will need to navigate through Qualifying 1 after finishing eleventh in Friday practice. Bagnaia currently leads the championship by 18 points over Jorge Martin, who had a costly fall in the previous race. Marco Bezzecchi and Luca Marini are also in contention, with Bezzecchi closing in on Martin’s lead despite racing with a broken collarbone. Alex Marquez will attempt a comeback at Phillip Island after withdrawing from the previous race due to fractured ribs. Alex Rins, last year’s winner, has withdrawn from the Australian MotoGP due to intense pain from his healing leg fractures.
Source: Crash
