Official tests, free practice and now the Superpole: all sessions that, in Phillip Island, ended with Nicolò Bulega at the top of the standings and with a wide margin of advantage over his pursuers. The Aruba.it team rider thus secured the first qualifying of the season on the Australian circuit (as well as his third consecutive one in this Round) in an Italian night that was more than positive for the ‘azzurri’, with the presence in second position of Yari Montella and the second row including Axel Bassani and Danilo Petrucci.
Read more Drivers’ and Constructors’ Standings after the Phillip Island Round 2026
Superpole Report
Miguel Oliveira‘s Superbike adventure instead started in the worst possible way for the Portuguese BMW rider, who crashed at turn 2 three minutes after the green light. A crash without consequences for the former MotoGP rider, but one that did not allow him to complete a lap after returning to the pits. Already in the early stages of the Superpole, on the contrary, Bulega set his first fastest lap, subsequently improving it by three tenths in the final five minutes of the session, stopping the clock at 1:28.244. A reassuring performance for the start from the first spot on the starting grid despite the excellent performance of Yari Montella, four tenths behind the leader but steadily in second position ahead of the Lowes brothers: Sam and Alex. A positive Superpole, therefore, for the Italian riders, with Axel Bassani in fifth place followed by Danilo Petrucci, more convincing after the difficulties encountered in free practice. This is therefore the starting grid for Race 1, live at 6:00 on Sky Sport MotoGP and free-to-air on TV8:
Read more Drivers’ and Constructors’ Standings after the Phillip Island Round 2026
Phillip Island, Race 1: the starting grid
