
Johann Zarco achieved a remarkable and long-awaited victory at the Australian Grand Prix, marking his first win in MotoGP since his title-winning Moto2 campaign in 2016. The French rider made a stunning last-lap pass to steal the victory from his Pramac Ducati teammate, Jorge Martin.
The race had initially been dominated by pole-sitter Jorge Martin, who had chosen a softer rear tire, a decision that began to haunt him as the race neared its conclusion. Meanwhile, Zarco had been engaged in a battle for second place within a four-rider pack, initially languishing in fifth place.
Zarco made his move towards the front by overtaking the points leader, Francesco Bagnaia, for fourth place at the start of lap 22. A few laps later, he repeated this feat on Fabio Di Giannantonio, securing third place. On the 26th lap, Zarco executed a decisive move at Miller Corner to claim second place from Brad Binder.
While Martin had led with a comfortable margin of 2.4 seconds, his fading tire performance led to a dramatic loss of his lead. By the final lap, it was evident that Zarco, equipped with a medium rear tire like most of the other riders, was poised to take the lead.
The critical pass for the lead occurred at Miller Corner, where 33-year-old Zarco managed to maintain a two-tenths-of-a-second advantage, clinching his first premier-class victory in his 120th attempt. A jubilant Zarco exclaimed in the parc ferme, “It’s hard to believe…After so many races of trying to do it, it’s a really high emotion. I need to swallow it, take it well, and enjoy tonight.”
Francesco Bagnaia secured second place, bolstering his championship aspirations. He seized the opportunity when Zarco forced Binder wide on the penultimate lap and then maneuvered past Di Giannantonio before overtaking the struggling Martin with ease.
Gresini Ducati rider Fabio Di Giannantonio, who still awaits a ride for 2024, celebrated his first-ever MotoGP podium with a third-place finish. Brad Binder finished fourth, while Jorge Martin, who struggled with tire wear, ended up in fifth.
With Martin slipping to fifth place, Bagnaia extended his championship lead to 27 points, heading into the upcoming sprint race on Sunday. Further down the pack, Marco Bezzecchi claimed sixth place on the VR46 Ducati, followed by the home favorite Jack Miller on the second KTM and Aleix Espargaro on the best-performing Aprilia.
Two more Ducati riders, Alex Marquez of Gresini and factory rider Enea Bastianini, completed the top 10.
Notably, Marc Marquez, who took a gamble on a soft rear tire, initially rose as high as fifth but soon started to plummet down the order, eventually finishing 15th, behind Fabio Quartararo’s leading Yamaha.
The race was not without incidents, as Honda’s Joan Mir and Tech3 GasGas rider Augusto Fernandez both crashed out. The Australian Grand Prix served up a thrilling spectacle that will undoubtedly be remembered for Johann Zarco’s incredible last-lap victory.
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