Phillip Island is one of those tracks you just can’t wait to get back to.

It’s an amazing circuit, incredibly fast, with some unbelievable corners. And then there’s the wind, which is pretty much always there and makes everything even more challenging.

I arrived in Australia after the win at Mandalika, really eager to keep the momentum going. The feeling was good, and we knew we could be competitive.

There was also another reason to make the most of this weekend: it was going to be MotoGP’s last visit to Phillip Island before moving to Adelaide.

So, of course, I wanted to give this place a proper goodbye.

We got off to a good start on Friday.

Fourth in FP1 and fastest in Practice, despite a small crash at Turn 4 with no consequences. I felt good on the bike, I could ride the way I wanted to, and even with all that wind, I was feeling comfortable.

There were still a few things to sort out, especially when it came to understanding the tyres better, but we were heading in the right direction.

And it wasn’t just us.

Four Aprilias in the top five in Practice. Another great sign of the work we’re all doing together.

Then came Saturday. And, as often happens here, the weather decided to make life a little more complicated.

I couldn’t quite put the right lap together in qualifying. I was competitive in the wet and in the dry, but in those mixed conditions, I just couldn’t be as fast as I wanted.

Ninth.

I was pretty annoyed because I knew we had the pace to start further up the grid.

Then, in the Sprint, my start wasn’t exactly the best. I found myself down in twelfth after the first lap, with quite a few positions to make up.

At that point, there was only one thing to do.

Push.

I started making my way back through the field, one overtake after another, trying to make the most of the pace we had. I really enjoyed it because when you can ride well and pull off some good overtakes, it’s always a great feeling.

In the end, I finished fourth, just off the podium.

A pretty good comeback, even if starting that far back still gets on my nerves a bit.

But considering how it all started, we managed to bring home a good result.

Unfortunately, Saturday was also marked by Jorge’s nasty crash.

He was having a great race, fighting at the front, when he went down at Turn 8. I felt really sorry for him, for the team, and for everyone at Aprilia.

At such an important stage of the Championship, it’s never nice to see a teammate get hurt.

I’m sending him a big hug, and I hope to see him back on track as soon as possible.

As for the Championship, everything is still wide open. We’ve seen it so many times this year: absolutely anything can happen.

We just have to keep doing our job and try to make the most of every opportunity.

And on Sunday, we wanted to give it another shot.

We had good pace, the bike was working well, and even though the weather forecast promised a tricky day, I was ready to give it everything.

But this time, we didn’t even get the chance to try.

The rain and poor visibility made it impossible to race safely. After waiting and hoping for the conditions to improve, the decision was made to cancel the Grand Prix.

Such a shame.

Especially because we’d worked well throughout the weekend, and I really felt we could have had a good race.

But when it comes to safety, there’s no messing around. If the conditions aren’t safe enough to race, you have to accept it.

I also feel sorry for all the fans who stayed out there in the rain, waiting until the very last moment, hoping to see us race.

And it’s even more disappointing knowing that this was MotoGP’s last Grand Prix at Phillip Island.

A track like this deserved a different kind of goodbye.

In the end, we went out for a lap to say goodbye to the fans. It definitely wasn’t what we’d hoped for, but at least we had the chance to thank everyone who had come out to support us.

We’re taking home a very positive Friday, a good comeback in the Sprint, and the knowledge that once again we have a competitive bike.

It wasn’t the weekend we’d hoped for, but days like these are part of racing too.

A big thank you to all the guys in the team for their hard work, to Aprilia, and to everyone who supported us, even on the other side of the world.

And thank you, Phillip Island.

It’s been great racing here.