Phillip Island always delivers... and it certainly did this time as the Championship battle nears boiling point with a rollercoaster of emotions continuing to run its course throughout the 2023 MotoGP™ Championship story. It's time to take a look at the state of play following the MotoGP™ Guru by Gryfyn Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix! 

Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) certainly showed a Champions spirit this weekend as the Italian fought his way from the depths of Q1 to finish a whisker away from victory. With inclement weather seeing the cancellation of the Tissot Sprint, the Championship leader's 2nd place finish in the Grand Prix saw him extend his title advantage from 18 points to 27 as his rival Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) finished the race in P5. Whilst the Spaniard's form continues to impress, a wrong tyre decision saw the Pramac man lose a substantial lead to drop from 1st to 5th on the final lap of the race.  

With just four Grand Prix the title battle is looking like a two-horse race as Martin draws further clear of Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team). The Italian only managed 10 points after his 6th place finish and now sits 46 points behind Martin and 73 adrift from his compatriot Bagnaia.  

The Italian does have plenty of cushion to the 4th placed Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) however, as the South African finds himself 69 points behind. Binder's fourth-place finish saw him bag 13 points as the Grand Prix victor Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) gained 12 points on the KTM rider in 5th.  

The title battle is heating up. Bagnaia is proving he's made of Champion's stuff but Martin still very much remains the thorn in the side of the World Champion. 4 rounds still remain with the OR Thailand Grand Prix next up from the 27th to the 29th of October. Make sure you don't miss a beat on motogp.com! 

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