Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Prepare to Push on Phillip Island

18-10-2023

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Prepare to Push on Phillip Island

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP‘s Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli are all ready and fired up for Round 16, held at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit this weekend.

Following a podium result at the Indonesia GP, the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team are full of motivation ahead of the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix. The crew have travelled to Phillip Island, Victoria, for the second round of the flyaway triple header.

Fabio Quartararo holds 10th place in the championship standings and is gaining good momentum. He has been on the podium in two of the last three Races. His third place at the Mandalika International Circuit last Sunday has given him extra drive to push again this weekend at the Phillip Island track. The Frenchman has only ridden a MotoGP bike there twice, in 2019 and 2022, but he didn‘t see the finish in either race. El Diablo is determined to turn his fortunes around this weekend.

Franco Morbidelli had good pace in the Indonesian GP Race and hopes to carry that speed forward to the Australian GP. Phillip Island is one of the Italian‘s favourite rounds because he likes the layout. He has good memories of this place: he stood on the rostrum here twice in a row, in 2016 and 2017, when he secured second and third place in the Moto2 class. His best result in the MotoGP class on Australian soil is an eighth place in 2018. He aims to better that this weekend and climb up from P12 in the overall standings.

Phillip Island hosted its first motorcycle race in 1931. In 1956, a permanently constructed circuit continued to host motorcycle Grand Prix events until it fell into disrepair during the late 70s and early 80s. After extensive renovation, the circuit made an intermediate comeback in MotoGP in 1989 and 1990, only to become a regular fixture once more from 1997 onwards. Thanks to its terrific location, right next to the ocean, and its flowing 4.4 km layout, featuring seven left and five right corners, and a 900 m longest straight, the Phillip Island track is loved by fans and MotoGP riders alike.

The key to a good lap at the Phillip Island track is further explained by three-time MotoGP eSport World Champion Lorenzo Daretti in this week‘s MotoGP eSport video.

The Grand Prix of Australia is held in the GMT +11 time zone. FP1 will take place on Friday from 10:45 – 11:30 local track time, followed by the Practice session from 15:00 – 16:00. On Saturday, FP2 will be held from 10:10 – 10:40, the qualifying sessions from 10:50 – 11:30, and the Sprint starts at 15:00. On Sunday, Warm Up is held from 09:40 – 09:50 and the Race starts at 14:00.

Fabio Quartararo

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP

"The podium at the Mandalika track was great. It was a nice boost also for the team, but we now start a new weekend. Getting a podium this weekend will be more difficult. Phillip Island is a track where you need to save the tyre. It will be difficult, but we will try anyway! I think it‘s important to take it race by race. In the last three Races we got two podiums, so I think we can be happy with how things are going lately, and it gives us all a boost as we prepare for the future."

Franco Morbidelli

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP

"The electronics issue aside, the Indonesian GP race was actually quite passable. I was pleased with the speed I had, so I‘m curious to see if we can benefit from that this weekend. We have seen in Indonesia once again how important the Fridays are in the MotoGP 2023 race weekend format. We need to make sure we are ready on the Friday and be prepared for anything and everything because the weather at Phillip Island can be unpredictable. I like this track though, and we will do our best again!"

Massimo Meregalli

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP, Team Director

"Fabio‘s podium in Indonesia was superb. He always shows 100% dedication to the cause regardless of the circumstances, but that third place will for sure have made him hungry for more success. Both he and Franky had a good pace in the Mandalika Race, so this weekend we aim to carry that forward. That said, Phillip Island is a different type of track. It‘s a beautiful circuit, and the team always enjoy visiting here, but last year didn‘t go our way, so this year we need to hit the ground running on Friday morning."