Pakistan, Oct. 17 -- A wide-open Australian MotoGP is all about the fight to be world championship runner-up, with Alex Marquez on the cusp of sealing the deal at a notoriously unpredictable circuit missing the entire front row from last year.

Prime among those absent this weekend is Marquez's older brother Marc, the 2024 winner at Phillip Island and newly crowned world champion.

He underwent shoulder surgery after a frightening crash at a chaotic Indonesia grand prix a fortnight ago won by Spanish rookie Fermin Aldeguer, with Ducati test rider Michele Pirro replacing him. Last year's Australian polesitter Jorge Martin (collar bone) and Maverick Vinales (shoulder) are also sidelined, meaning none of the front row from 12 months ago will...