Bagnaia (Ducati) on Adelaide: “Much more boring than Phillip Island”

In February this year, it was announced that the 2027 Australian Grand Prix would no longer take place at Phillip Island. This came as a huge shock to riders and fans alike, as the historic circuit not only boasts stunning scenery right by the sea, but also delivers thrilling races year after year as one of the fastest tracks on the MotoGP calendar. The end of the Phillip Island era also marks the conclusion of a 30-year chapter.

From next year, the Australian Grand Prix will be held in Adelaide. A street circuit is to be built there – very much in line with Liberty Media’s aim of bringing the MotoGP World Championship closer to the people. Many riders are critical of the new circuit – particularly when it comes to safety.

During the Aragon GP, the MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group (formerly Dorna) unveiled a computer animation of the Adelaide circuit for the first time (as reported by SPEEDWEEK.com). The circuit is 4.13 kilometres long and features 15 corners. With the new 850cc prototypes, top speeds of over 340 km/h are expected.

More boring than Phillip Island, better than Balaton

The Adelaide layout was, of course, a talking point in Aragon. One of the riders to comment on it was two-time MotoGP champion Pecco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo). “It’s hard to picture the whole thing just from a video,” mused Bagnaia, who then went into a bit more detail. “It looks like fun, but I don’t know how fast we’ll be going there or how tight the corners will be. The layout doesn’t look too bad – but it’s not like Phillip Island. It looks much more boring than Phillip Island, but it seems to be better than Balaton.”

The fact that Bagnaia isn’t a fan of the Balaton Park Circuit either is nothing new. The new circuit on Lake Balaton in Hungary has been on the MotoGP calendar since 2025. The facility is modern, but the stop-and-go circuit, with its sometimes very tight corners, is too small and hardly suitable for the fast MotoGP bikes. There are many indications that the Balaton Park Circuit will no longer feature on the World Motorcycle Championship calendar by 2027.

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