Phillip Island qualifying: Senna Agius threw away pole position, Gonzalez took over

As is so often the case, the weather at Phillip Island proved unpredictable. By the time the two qualifying sessions got underway at midday, the circuit had dried out. Following a wet FP2, which, surprisingly, had ended with the same 1-2 result at the top – Izan Guevara ahead of Senna Agius – the riders were now back on slicks.

Despite a few damp patches remaining, the Q1 participants were quickly posting times in the 1:30s – and were therefore just as fast as in free practice. After 15 minutes under normal conditions, the four stragglers had been identified. Behind the fastest rider, Zonta van den Goorbergh – who will return to the island next February as a Supersport World Championship rider – Ivan Ortola, as expected, secured his place in Q2. They were joined by Moto2 veteran Tony Arbolino (Fantic) and Collin Veijer (KTM-Ajo).

After a short break, the battle for pole position began. The surface of the legendary Speed circuit remained dry as the top 18 Moto2 riders got underway. Following the previous sessions, everything pointed to a duel between the World Championship runner-up, Izan Guevara (Pramac-Yamaha), and Senna Agius (Intact GP). However, it was initially the riders who had already experienced a dry Q1 who topped the timesheets.

Halfway through Q2, the elite riders stepped up a gear. With a time of 1:30.295, Senna Agius took the lead. Whilst Dani Holgado had moved up to fourth place behind López and Roberts, Izan Guevara remained stuck in ninth. Further down the order was championship leader Manuel González, in 11th place.

The weather held up, so five minutes before the chequered flag, the riders headed out onto the left-hand circuit once more with fresh rear slicks for their final push. Even during the warm-up lap, the unthinkable happened from the Australians’ perspective: Senna Agius crashed in the fast Turn 8 and wrecked his Kalex.

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Phillip Island: International Stream

MotoGP World Championship

25.10.2026 - 00:35

Der schnelle Senna Agius übertrieb es im Q2

Foto: Gold and Goose

Almost at the same time, Manuel Gonzalez had taken the lead with a spirited lap. With a time of 1:30.122, the World Championship leader was a tenth of a second faster than Barry Baltus. Whilst Agius fell further and further back, Izan Guevara moved up to 9th place. Following crashes by Lunetta and Aji in the final minutes, further improvements were prevented under yellow flags.

Pramac-Pilot Izan Guevara: Startplatz 6 auf Phillip Island

Foto: Gold and Goose

And so the minor surprise was complete. Manuel Gonzalez got everything right, Senna Agius attacked too early and will have to start his home Grand Prix from seventh on the grid, whilst Izan Guevara was just a little too slow. The Pramac rider will start the Grand Prix alongside Ivan Ortola (4th) and Dani Holgado (5th). Filip Salac (American Racing) and Barry Baltus (Fantic) will line up at the very front alongside Intact rider Gonzalez. Aspar rider David Alonso could not manage better than 14th place.

Two Spaniards were already out of the running before the race even began. Marc-VDS rider Aron Canet had broken his thumb on Friday, whilst Forward’s star rider Alex Escrig had also sustained an injury during FP1. Escrig hopes to be back in action next week at Sepang.