Bezzecchi Wins the Phillip Island Sprint

Aprilia star overcomes seagulls and a flying Fernandez to take the Sprint victory, with Miller narrowly missing out on a home podium

Phillip Island served up ideal conditions for the Saturday Sprint – sunny, cool, and just slightly breezy. The local seagulls were enjoying the weather so much they flew straight into the path of the field as the lights went out, with Bezzecchi and Quartararo copping a face full of feathers. Jack Miller grabbed the holeshot from the front row, but Alex Marquez got an even better start to sweep into second and then the lead as Fabio Quartararo fell back to fifth. The rapid Aprilias of Fernandez and Bezzecchi then attacked Marquez to hit the lead on lap one, their pace allowing them to immediately begin edging away. Pedro Acosta launched a raid on Miller into Lukey Heights, but the Aussie fought back to keep fourth.

Fernandez hammered in successive fastest laps to keep Bezzecchi at arm’s length as Alex Marquez clung to third with Miller camped on his rear tire heading toward Miller Corner. Miller dived up the inside into Turn 1 but ran wide, allowing Alex Marquez straight back through. Both Miller and Acosta looked quicker than the Gresini rider but couldn’t find clean air, while Bezzecchi began to reel Fernandez in. A near-miss at MG, where Bezzecchi almost tagged the back of the leader and ran wide, briefly swung momentum back toward Fernandez, but the chase was on – Bezzecchi flying with feathers still wedged in his fairing from that opening-lap bird strike.

Acosta blitzed past both Miller and Alex Marquez down the straight to take third, the KTM’s superior punch telling. Miller soon cleared Alex Marquez as well, setting off after Acosta in the hunt for the final podium position. Bezzecchi laid down a 1:27.1 to close in fast on Fernandez, before executing a clinical pass into Southern Loop to take the lead. Meanwhile, Miller clawed his way back to Acosta’s tail, eyeing a last-lap shot at the box. Bezzecchi’s pace at the front was imperious, the gap to Fernandez stretching toward two seconds, while further back Fermin Aldeguer crashed at Siberia and Pecco Bagnaia endured another grim Sprint race, barely ahead of test rider Michele Pirro near the tail of the field.

Leading into the final lap, Acosta’s KTM power allowed him to pull clear of Miller down the straight, but the Yamaha man threw everything at him through Hayshed and Lukey Heights. Acosta defended into MG, forcing Miller to regroup for a last lunge. Miller squared off Turn 11, leaving a long black line on exit, and tried to stuff it up the inside before Turn 12, but Acosta shut the door and held firm to the flag.

Bezzecchi won comfortably from Fernandez to deliver an emphatic Aprilia 1–2, with Acosta clinging to third ahead of a relentless but ultimately frustrated Miller. Di Giannantonio’s late speed underlined what might have been from deeper on the grid, and the day closed with a notable milestone: the first time Ducati has missed a Sprint podium.

Bezzecchi’s win has him just 8 points behind Bagnaia for third place in the championship and, although he has to deal with a double long-lap penalty in the Sunday feature race, his stunning pace may still have him in the frame for victory.

2025 Phillip Island MotoGP Sprint Race