Marco Bezzecchi
MotoGP is headed down under this weekend for the Australian Grand Prix, with this year’s champion Marc Marquez out after breaking his right shoulder in Indonesia.
The Ducati rider claimed his seventh MotoGP title in Japan before an accident at the Mandalika Circuit saw him require surgery on his shoulder.
Marquez could be out for the remainder of the season, with a reported 16-week recovery time for his injury, although he has shared plans to return for the 2025 post-season test.
The Spaniard has dominated the 2025 season, taking 11 wins and a further four podiums from 18 races. It has been Marquez’s strongest season since 2019, which saw him claim 12 victories from 19 races.
Marquez is the most successful current rider at the Phillip Island Circuit, having taken four wins in 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2024.
Three other riders on the 2025 grid have stood on the top step of the podium in Australia, with Maverick Vinales, Alex Rins and Johann Zarco all hoping for a second win at the track.
Read more: MotoGP 2025 Australian Grand Prix weekend schedule, UK timings and how to watch
Valentino Rossi tops list of most successful riders at the Australian Grand Prix
Valentino Rossi is the most successful rider at the Australian Grand Prix, with eight victories across all categories.
The Italian took his maiden win at the Phillip Island Circuit during the 250cc race in 1998, before claiming a consecutive victory the following year.
Rossi has six victories across the 500cc and MotoGP classes, including back-to-back wins between 2001 and 2005.
He claimed his final Australian Grand Prix victory in 2014, after making his 250th premier class start at the event.
Rossi was a fan of the Phillip Island Circuit, expressing disappointment at its late scheduling on the calendar, which is impacted by Australian spring weather. The Italian told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation: “It is a great pity to come to Phillip Island in this part of the season because this is maybe the best track in the world.
“The layout is fantastic because you are always at a high, high speed, around corners you are on the side at 200 km/h, It goes up and down so there is blind braking and it’s always a big fight for slipstreaming.”
Casey Stoner holds the record for most MotoGP victories at Australian Grand Prix
Casey Stoner is the most successful MotoGP rider around the Phillip Island Circuit, taking six consecutive wins on his home soil between 2007 and 2012.
The Aussie returned to the circuit ahead of the 2025 Australian Grand Prix and shared his love for the track with the Sentinel Times, where he said: “This racetrack is unlike anything around the world. It’s still what I would call old school. You have to deal with the weather, these different conditions, high speeds, low grip in a lot of ways.”
The two-time riders’ champion claimed the victory in every MotoGP season bar one that he contested, and is the second most successful Australian rider behind Mick Doohan, with 38 wins compared to 54.
Despite this, Stoner has outscored Doohan on wins at the Australian Grand Prix, with the five-time riders’ champion only taking one victory in 1998.
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