The MotoGP World Championship reached a fever pitch in Australia, with five riders on 40 points

Only forty points separate the top five in the MotoGP world championship when the Australian Grand Prix starts this weekend at the Phillip Island circuit, with Frenchman Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha YZR M 1) coming in lower trading and Italian Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia (Ducati Desmosedici GP22) rising.

But they weren’t the only ones, although they were barely separated by two points after the chaotic Thai Grand Prix at the Buriram circuit, as Aleix Espargaró (Aprilia RS-GP) is almost 20 points behind the leading pair, Italian Enea Bastianini (Ducati Desmosedici GP21) on 39 points and just one behind, Australian Jack Miller (Ducati Desmosedici GP22).

Precisely Jack Miller is the proper name that everyone bets on this season finale and even more so when it comes to the “home race”, even though his teammate “Pecco” Bagnaia is in the best position.

But for all of them there is a persuasive argument, the powerful “Armada Ducati”, with up to eight bikes in the starting line-up is capable of causing a surprise at any time and on any circuit.

The fight should have focused on Quartararo and Bagnaia, but Miller came on the route of the grown Indian. for his performance at the last grand prix and also for being newly married to his girlfriend Ruby, in addition to having the support of the ever-growing local fans.

After two years of the country shutting down “hard and fast” due to the global coronavirus pandemic, forecasts suggest that will completely abandon the public with the best rider in MotoGPespecially knowing that he has scored the most points in the last three grand prix contested so far, from Aragon to Thailand, passing through Japan.

Although Miller will not be the only contender, given this fight and a fast and technical circuit like Phillip Island, the rest of Ducati can have a lot to say, even Marc Márquez (Repsol Honda RC 213 V), who came to a track he really likes, where he knows what it means to win and, in addition, with the added incentive that in theory it will have a series of new parts at its disposal to evolve the motorcycle already thinking about 2023.

It wouldn’t be fair to leave out who really is the leader of the championship and current champion, Frenchman Fabio Quartararoalthough he only has a two-point advantage over Bagnaia and reaches a circuit that is not one of the most favorable for the conditions of the Yamaha YZR M 1, although he is capable of getting the best from the motorcycle made by Tuning forks have to be one of the drivers to consider.

In addition to Quartararo and Bagnaia, Aleix Espargaró (Aprilia RS-GP) should be the third party in the fight for the leadership of the championship“squeezed” by all the Ducati riders, ready to achieve a good result at any time and in any situation, as well as the increasingly strong Marc Márquez.

We also cannot forget Maverick Viñales (Aprilia RS-GP), who in 2018 achieved victory at this stage ending a long drought with Yamaha, and then the only rider who remains close to Marc Márquez in the fight for the 2019 world title, although now it comes with the Noale prototype, where it gradually shows more and more adaptation.

In any case, the experience will be a major asset at Phillip Island, where it has not been run since 2019 and there are some pilots who have never ridden that beautiful track on the coast of the Tasman Sea, like the South African Brad Binder (KTM RC 16), Alex Márquez (Honda RC 213 V), the Portuguese Miguel Oliveira (KTM RC 16), who was not riding because of injury, or Fabio Quartararo himself, who crashed on the first lap.

A special stimulus can have, despite not having developed a brilliant season, the Australian Remy Gardner (KTM RC 16), as well as Joan Mir (Suzuki GSX RR), who will travel to Australia to test the effect of his recovery after the ankle injury he suffered in Austria and has kept him in dry dock ever since, but the truth is that the Australian track is one of the great memories for Palma de Mallorca, because at this stage he won his first world title, of Moto3 in 2017.

His teammate, Alex Rins (Suzuki GSX RR) is another rider to consider, as the Catalan has the clear goal of trying to say goodbye to the Japanese brand with a victory before the end of the season and he crashes. in the Honda ranks in the Lucio Cecchinello team.

Frenchman Johann Zarco or his Pramac team partner, Jorge Martín, are other contenders to consider, both in the fight for victory and when deducting points from the championship contenders, because they had a powerful Ducati Desmosedici GP22 and they showed enough qualification to step onto the top step of the podium.