Island was crying': MotoGP winner's lament over loss, crunch Qatar meeting looms amid rider unrest - MotoGP Pit Talk

A cancellation tied to rain and persistent cloud at Phillip Island left MotoGP with a new kind of controversy heading into the season’s 19th round at Sepang (Malaysia) from Oct. 30 to Nov. 1. Raul Fernandez, the final rider to win a full-distance Grand Prix at the circuit, described the weather as the track “crying, begging us not to leave” after Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix was called off. Fernandez—who had been set to defend his 2025 win before withdrawing after fracturing his right hand index finger—plans to try to race in Malaysia. Elsewhere, safety concerns for Qatar remain under debate, while Aprilia’s Jorge Martin is preparing for Malaysia after fracturing his right forearm in a high-speed crash following his sprint battle with Marc Marquez.