Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP

Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP makes an eventful start to a promising Phillip Island weekend

Jack Miller and Augusto Fernandez showed encouraging pace on Friday at Phillip Island, despite crashes interrupting their progress. Miller ended the day 12th overall after setting the third-fastest time in the opening session, while Fernandez finished 20th on his first weekend stepping in for the injured Toprak Razgatlıoğlu.

GRAND PRIX OF AUSTRALIA

PRACTICE

Phillip Island (Australia), 23rd October 2026

12th

JACK MILLER
1'27.598 / 23 LAPS

20th

AUGUSTO FERNANDEZ
1'28.820 / 25 LAPS

The final MotoGP weekend at the spectacular Phillip Island circuit got underway on Friday, marking the beginning of an emotional Australian Grand Prix for Jack Miller and a new challenge for Augusto Fernandez. While Miller is preparing for his final home race in MotoGP, Yamaha test rider Fernandez has joined Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP to replace Toprak Razgatlıoğlu, who will miss the remainder of the season following his injury at Mandalika.

On track, both riders showed encouraging signs of competitiveness, although their progress was interrupted by crashes. Miller made a strong start to the day, setting the third-fastest time in the opening session and demonstrating promising pace at his home circuit. However, two crashes during Friday's running affected his afternoon session, leaving the Australian 12th in the combined classification. Despite the setbacks, his feeling with the YZR-M1 remained positive, and he will look to build on that performance on Saturday.

Fernandez, meanwhile, continued his adaptation to the bike and the team in his first outing as a race replacement. The Spaniard also suffered a crash during the day and ended Friday in 20th position, but he was encouraged by the feeling he found on the bike and the potential he believes the package offers. With more track time ahead, the focus will be on making further progress and closing the gap to the riders at the front.

Both Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP riders will face Q1 on Saturday, aiming to secure a place in Q2 and improve their starting positions for the Sprint and Sunday's Grand Prix. With promising signs in Friday's pace but room to improve, the team will continue working on the setup and consistency of the YZR-M1 as the final Phillip Island MotoGP weekend progresses.

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JACK MILLER
Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP Rider

It was an eventful day, that’s for sure. This morning, the feeling was pretty good from the start, although the track is bumpier than it was last year. I knew there were some tricky spots, but when I hit the bumps, the bike started moving around and I lost the front. I ended up tumbling through the gravel, and my ankles were a bit sore afterwards, but thankfully, I was able to get back out this afternoon.

The feeling was good again, and my pace was decent on my own. The time attacks were also promising, but I’m not completely happy with how they went. In the end, we missed out on the top 10, which means we’ll have to go through Q1 tomorrow. I know where I could have been faster, so it’s frustrating, but we have the pace to do better and we’ll give it another go tomorrow.

AUGUSTO FERNANDEZ
Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP Rider

I’m gradually getting back into the rhythm, and overall, the feeling hasn’t been too bad. The time attacks are still a little difficult for me, but my main objective for the rest of the season is to keep working with Yamaha, build my feeling with the bike and improve step by step. I have the opportunity to work calmly with the team, understand the package better and make progress over the coming races.

Unfortunately, I had a crash today, but before that, things weren’t going badly. We still have work to do, particularly when it comes to putting everything together for a fast lap, but we’ll keep working and try to take another step forward tomorrow.