Marc Márquez and the Ducati Lenovo Team third quickest on Friday at Phillip Island. Francesco Bagnaia fourteenth

  The Ducati Lenovo Team completed the first day of action for the Grand Prix of Australia at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit. Marc Márquez finished Practice in third position, 0.126s off the top spot, while Francesco Bagnaia, fourteenth, will have to tackle Q1.

Márquez, the fastest rider in FP1, consistently remained among the top positions during Practice. Marc was the first rider to break the 1'27s barrier with less than nine minutes remaining, before ultimately finishing third. Bagnaia moved closer to the top ten in the closing stages of the afternoon session, eventually wrapping up Practice in fourteenth position.

The Ducati Lenovo Team will be back in action at 10:10 local time (GMT+11) for Free Practice 2, followed by Q1 at 10:50, Q2 at 11:15 and the eighteenth Sprint of the season, which will be contested over 13 laps from 15:00.

Marc Márquez (#93 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 3rd
“The day went more or less as expected. We kept improving throughout the sessions, the feeling is now very good and I'm able to ride the way I like. Our opponents are very competitive at this track, especially through the fast corners, but we're not too far away and we'll try to close the gap further. The goal for tomorrow's qualifying is the front row, but I know it won't be easy. We'll continue to work hard, as usual. It'll be important to adapt to the sudden weather changes, which are typical here at Phillip Island, while taking every possible scenario into consideration.”

Francesco Bagnaia (#63 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 14th
“We struggled a bit. I can't make the bike turn the way I'd like or carry enough speed, because I end up running wide when I try. Still, we made some steps forward throughout the day, and I must say that, in the end, I was the one who wasn't able to put everything together during the time attack, which cost me a couple of tenths. Now we have to see how the next two days unfold. We'll have to take the possibility of rain into consideration. While this wouldn't be the best scenario, especially here at Phillip Island, it would still shuffle the cards a bit.”