Toprak Razgatlıoğlu to miss Phillip Island and remainder of the 2026 season. 

Following further medical examinations in Milan, Toprak Razgatlıoğlu will undergo surgery on Monday, October 26, to address the injury sustained in his crash at Mandalika. The Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP rider will therefore miss the remainder of the season, with Yamaha test rider Augusto Fernandez planned to replace him for the upcoming races.

Toprak Razgatlıoğlu travelled to Milan on Monday Oct. 21st for further medical examinations following the shoulder injury he sustained in a highside crash during the Indonesian Grand Prix at Mandalika. Unfortunately, the latest assessments confirmed that the damage requires surgical treatment to ensure the best possible recovery.

In agreement with Toprak, surgery has been scheduled for Monday, October 26, in Milan. Following the procedure, the Turkish rider will focus on his rehabilitation, ruling him out of the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island and the remaining rounds of the 2026 MotoGP World Championship.

Yamaha test rider Augusto Fernandez is planned to step in for Razgatlıoğlu for the upcoming races. Yamaha and Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP wish Toprak a successful operation and a smooth recovery, and will support him throughout the rehabilitation process and thank Augusto Fernandez for stepping in to help.

Gino Borsoi: “We are very sorry for Toprak, as we know how much he wanted to race at Phillip Island and continue his journey with the YZR-M1. He has been working hard to adapt to MotoGP, and it is disappointing that this injury will prevent him from continuing that process over the coming races. However, his health must come first, and we will support him throughout his recovery and look forward to seeing him back on the bike when he is ready. At the same time, we welcome Augusto Fernandez, who will step in for Toprak at Phillip Island and until Toprak isn’t ready to come back. As Yamaha‘s test rider, he knows the bike well, and we are pleased to have him joining the team for these events. We will work together to make the most of this opportunity while wishing Toprak a successful operation and a smooth recovery.” 

Toprak Razgatlıoğlu: “I‘m extremely disappointed to miss the Australian Grand Prix. Phillip Island is one of my favourite circuits and a place where I‘ve enjoyed some very special moments during my Superbike career. I was excited about the opportunity to race here on the MotoGP bike, which makes this situation even harder to accept. After further medical assessments following the crash in Mandalika, it became clear that my shoulder injury is worse than we first believed. As a result, I will undergo surgery in the coming days to give myself the best chance of making a full recovery and returning at 100%. This wasn‘t an easy decision, but after consulting with the doctors and the people closest to me, we are convinced it is the right step for my future. I would also like to wish Jack all the best for his home Grand Prix. Racing in front of your home crowd is always special, and with this being the final MotoGP event at Phillip Island, I hope he can enjoy a fantastic weekend and achieve a great result. I‘ll be cheering for him and the entire team from afar.” 

The #54 will be sidelined to recover, with the WorldSBK race winner stepping in at Gresini once again. 

Fermin Aldeguer will be sidelined from the Australian GP following his recent hand injury. The #54 returned to Spain after his crash on Sunday in Indonesia and underwent surgery, and he’s now full steam ahead on recovery in time for the Malaysian GP at Sepang.

“I had bad luck this year, now with my hand,” Aldeguer recently told the WorldSBK team at Jerez, underlining his first target back. “It’s less than one week after the injury so we have to stay calm and see if I can be back in Malaysia. It’s our first goal. We will see.”

In the meantime, Iker Lecuona will step in for Aldeguer this weekend for the Red Bull Australian GP. It’s the third time the SBK Ducati rider returns to the BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP team this season, after subbing for Alex Marquez at Balaton and Aldeguer at Silverstone.

HOT HEADLINES: the final Phillip Island battle beckons for tight 2026 title fight. 

A last chapter of history will be written as Phillip Island brings the end of the title showdown ever closer. 

Phillip Island first showed us what it was all about in 1989 and has been the host of the Australian GP since 1997. Countless memories, showdowns and runs to the line have been witnessed in that time. Before we bid farewell to ‘The Island’ and write a new chapter in Adelaide from 2027, we could well be in for one of the most important Grands Prix of the season so far. Two points is the difference between two rivals who battled hard here two years ago, and the stakes couldn’t be higher as the title race gets set for five GPs in six weeks where by the end of it all, one champion will be crowned.

MARTIN VS MARQUEZ: the title run-in intensifies

You’d have been a brave pundit to predict that Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) would leave Mandalika with the exact same two-point deficit as when he entered but that’s what the reigning Champion did. An Aprilia 1-2-3-4 on Sunday, with Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing) in third kept the Martinator ahead and whilst Aprilia were strong in Australia last year, it’ll be new territory on the RS-GP for the #89. What we can hope for is a repeat of their epic, Grand Prix-of-the-season battle from 2024, that time going the way of the #93. As for 2026, Martin remains with just one victory but has been on the Grand Prix podium in the last three whilst Marquez only has six Sunday podiums – all of them victories.

BEZZECCHI RESILIENT: has he saved his Bezt until last?

It wasn’t long ago that Bezzecchi’s title hopes seemed to be fading but he, like Martin, has been on the podium in the last three GPs and finally got back to Grand Prix winning ways at Mandalika. Five of the last six GPs on the rostrums and Phillip Island’s Sprint winner from 2025, the #72 is 46 points back from Martin but still very much determined in his bid for the title. He’s 50 clear of Ai Ogura (SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team), making it a realistic three-horse title fight with five rounds remaining. This was the part of the season last year where Bezzecchi seemed to have an extra gear and hit the form he carried into the early part of 2026 – can he do it again one year on?

CHASING PACK: 2026 Grand Prix winners and 2025 Phillip Island stunners

Ogura is fourth by a single point over Austrian GP winner Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), with the Spaniard not having the happiest of times in Japan or Indonesia. The battle for fourth is a four-way fight with Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) in hot pursuit whilst Raul Fernandez’s (SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team) P2 at Mandalika reignites his charge. The #25 won in MotoGP for the first time at Phillip Island last year and it was Diggia who clinched P2 just behind, so 2026 could be interesting. Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini MotoGP Team), teammate Fermin Aldeguer and double World Champion Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) complete the top ten in the standings, but Aldeguer is once again on the sidelines after his hand injury picked up in Lombok, replaced by Iker Lecuona as he was earlier in the year.

FURTHER BACK: the tight battle just off the top ten, Miller readies for final home GP

Enea Bastianini (Red Bull KTM Tech3) is just two points behind Aldeguer in the top ten battle overall and fellow countryman Luca Marini (Honda HRC Castrol) is just a further 14 behind, hoping he can keep his streak of points in every GP in 2026 going Down Under. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) is just four points off Marini too, and has been a top eight finisher in the last three Australian Grands Prix, whilst top Yamaha Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) has enjoyed points in the last two Grands Prix and Sprints.

Top rookie in 2026 Diogo Moreira (Pro Honda LCR) is tied on points with Quartararo and just 15 ahead of Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team), who in-turn is just eight ahead of 2023 Australian GP winner Johann Zarco (Castrol Honda LCR). All home eyes will be on Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP), however. He’ll aim to bow out of MotoGP with one final strong showing at his home Grand Prix where he was mighty close to the Sprint podium in 2025. Teammate Toprak Razgatlioglu returns to a circuit he knows from WorldSBK, with his first points since Misano the target and Alex Rins (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) is one of five Australian GP winners lining up on the grid, the other being Maverick Viñales (Red Bull KTM Tech3) who is also looking for more as he rebuilds from a long layoff. Joan Mir’s (Honda HRC Castrol) attendance remains to be confirmed by Honda as he struggles with illness, so stay tuned for an update there.

Two points at the top, another key contender with an impressive form book and five GPs in six weeks await. There’s plenty more to come in 2026 so get ready for another awesome, and final, show from the Island.