BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha MotoGP

Guevara to Start Phillip Island Showdown from P6

Having a fast lap cancelled due to yellow flags, BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2's Izan Guevara will start the Grand Prix of Australia from sixth place on the grid. Rookie Alberto Ferrández – who is tackling the Phillip Island track for the first time and is still recovering from a collarbone injury – had to adapt to mixed track conditions on the Saturday. He secured 22nd place on tomorrow's starting grid.

GRAND PRIX OF AUSTRALIA

QUALIFYING

Phillip Island (Australia), 24th October 2026

6th

IZAN GUEVARA
1'30.277 / 8 LAPS

22nd

ALBERTO FERRANDEZ
1'31.196 / 7 LAPS

BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2's Izan Guevara will start the Grand Prix of Australia from sixth place on the grid as he continues his quest of chasing down the championship leader, who is just 5.5 points ahead of him in the standings. Rookie Alberto Ferrández showed good pace in the wet session on the Saturday morning but struggled to convert it to the qualifying position he had hoped for in the dry Q1 session. He will start tomorrow's race from P22.

Guevara started the Saturday by finishing the wet FP2 in first position before turning his attention to qualifying. In the dry Q2, his opening flying lap put him sixth and, as the times dropped, his faster second try had him hold ninth place as he returned to pitlane with just under eight minutes remaining. The Spaniard dug deep on his second stint, which he started with five and a half minutes left on the clock, but luck was not on his side. He ran into yellow flags while on his flying lap. He ultimately was able to secure sixth, with a 1'30.277s set on lap 7/8, 0.155s from pole.

Having finished FP2 in P12, Ferrández was keen to push in Q1. His opening bids had him rank ninth in the live timing before he returned to the pits. The number 54 went back out on track with four and a half minutes remaining, holding P10 at the time. After a 1'31.196s, set on lap 6/7, he ended the session in 8th place, 0.758s from the fastest rider. The result puts him 22nd on the grid for the race.

Tomorrow's 23-lap Moto2 Grand Prix of Australia Race will get underway at 12:15 (GMT+11)*.

* Please note that daylight saving time ends in Europe on Sunday 25 October. Fans and media in Europe should be aware that the clocks are turned back one hour between the Moto3 Race and the Moto2 Race, increasing the time difference by one hour.

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ALEX DE ANGELIS
Team Manager, BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2

"It's a day that leaves us with a bit of a bitter taste. On the positive side, Izan was extremely fast, and we had everything we needed to fight for pole position. Unfortunately, he encountered a yellow flag on his fastest lap, and his lap time was cancelled. It's a shame, because it would have been great to secure a third pole position in a row, but the important thing is that we have shown how competitive we are.

"Tomorrow looks set to be wet, so we will have to start again from scratch. However, we go into the race with confidence after what we saw this morning in very wet conditions. The bike and rider package is working extremely well, whatever the weather.

"Alberto wasn't able to show his full potential in this afternoon's qualifying, but that's not a major concern. The important thing is that his shoulder is in much better condition than it was at the previous Grand Prix, and we believe he is now in a position to complete the race, whether it's wet or dry. If the conditions are wet tomorrow, we hope to see him make up ground, because he also gave us plenty of reasons to be optimistic with his performance this morning."

IZAN GUEVARA
BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2 Rider

"I'm really frustrated because I pushed hard in qualifying, but my first lap was affected by yellow flags. On the next lap, I tried to push again, but I made mistakes in Turns 1 and 2. I managed to recover some time later in the lap and felt I had the pace to fight for pole position but, unfortunately, I'll have to start tomorrow's race from sixth.

"The conditions are expected to change again, with rain forecast for tomorrow. We were very fast in the wet this morning, and the feeling with the bike on wet tyres was really good. I'm confident we can be competitive, so now it's important to stay focused and prepare for the race."

ALBERTO FERRANDEZ
BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2 Rider

"Today was a good day. We were very fast in the wet throughout the whole session, consistently staying inside the Top 5, and the feeling with the bike in those conditions was really good.

"In the afternoon, I also felt very comfortable on the bike in the dry, but a mistake cost us some time on the fast lap. We knew we had the potential to fight for a place in Q2, so it's a little disappointing not to make it, but I'm happy with the progress we're making. This is a new track for me, and every session has brought different conditions, which has made it quite challenging. Still, I think we've done a very good job adapting.

"Now I'm ready for tomorrow. The race looks likely to be wet, so we're prepared and will do our best to take advantage of the conditions."