Less than one week after the GP of Japan, held last Sunday at Motegi, the MotoGP World Championship continues non-stop with another classic event on the calendar at the Phillip Island circuit, the scene for the seventeenth round of the season - the Australian Grand Prix.

Following a podium for Andrea Dovizioso in Japan - third place and the 100th in his career - and a ninth place for Danilo Petrucci, the Ducati Team is now ready to tackle the second of three back-to-back overseas rounds. At the Phillip Island circuit, situated about 140 kilometres south of Melbourne, the Ducati Team has obtained four victories, all in successive years, with Casey Stoner between 2007 and 2010. Andrea Dovizioso won on this track in 2004 in 125cc, but he can also count two thirds to his name in the premier class, one in 2011 and another in 2018, the latter with Ducati. Petrucci’s best result at Phillip Island is a ninth place in 2016 with a Pramac Racing Desmosedici GP.


Andrea Dovizioso (# 04 Ducati Team) – 2nd (231 points)

“On paper Phillip Island is the most challenging circuit for us of the three end-of-season overseas races, but it is also true that last year here I finished third, and this is the marker that we must follow. The cold and the rain often form part of the weekend in this race, and so anything can happen. Even though I gained a few points on my closest rivals at Motegi, I can’t afford to relax if I want to hold on to second place in the standings, and in any case I’m determined to score a good result in Australia.”

Danilo Petrucci (#9 Ducati Team) – 5th (169 points)

“Phillip Island is a special circuit that requires a specific riding style. In the last two races I’ve had some problems with the temperature of the tyres, but in Australia I think things will be a bit different. I’m not far off third place overall, which remains my objective and which I think it will be possible to achieve. Obviously I can’t be satisfied with my result in Japan and I want to improve here at Phillip Island because it’s a circuit that I like. It’s a good opportunity for me to make a step forward."


The Australian Grand Prix will officially get underway on Friday 25th October with the first free practice session at 10:50 local time (01:50 CET), while the race takes place on Sunday 27th at 15:00 in Australia (05:00 CET).