The weather gives no respite to the MotoGP World Championship. Since the start of the Asian tour, the championship has had to deal with inclement weather. At the Japanese Grand Prix, MotoGP FP3 had to be suspended, and Moto2 qualifying was red-flagged for an hour.
At the Thai Grand Prix, held two weeks ago, things were not exactly better. The rain returned to make an appearance in a torrential way, forcing to stop the race of the intermediate class and to end it before completing two thirds of the laps. The MotoGP test, likewise, had to be delayed.
Heading into the Australian Grand Prix this weekend at Phillip Island Circuit, drivers and teams shouldn’t put away their raincoats. Starting Wednesday, the state of Victoria (where the Aussie track is located) will be hit by heavy rain . The authorities are on alert, and predict that flooding could occur in the coming days.
In view of the weather with which Phillip Island will receive MotoGP, the organization of the event has announced the closure of some car parks , as well as the creation of new parking areas to “prevent vehicles from being trapped and that access to the circuit is as efficient as possible.”
It is assumed that Friday practice will be played in the wet , but the skies are expected to clear for Saturday and Sunday . In those last two days, the probability of precipitation is reduced to 20%.
However, the wind will continue to be the protagonist , as has become usual in Phillip Island. Gusts of up to 45 km/h are expected, which will make handling the prototypes difficult. The air is an old acquaintance of the pilots on this track and, for example, Miguel Oliveira ended up on the ground in 2019.
In Australia they are still coming out of the winter season, something that, if added to its proximity to Antarctica, results in frigid temperatures . The thermometer is not expected to exceed 16ºC at any time during the Grand Prix, which will cause the tire grip to drop considerably.
According to the forecast, FP3 will be the first dry session of the weekend . That will mean that the pilots have little margin for error if they want to go directly to Q2, for which they have to finish the combined free practice in the top ten.
In case the rains continue, Jack Miller would again have many chances to shine in his home race, as well as Miguel Oliveira, winner of the two races held in the wet this season.
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