MotoGP Australian GP: Zarco Clinches the Win from Martin on Last Lap; Bagnaia, Di Giannantonio Complete Podium

Johann Zarco finally won his first MotoGP race, the Australian Grand Prix, when he deftly passed his Pramac Ducati teammate Jorge Martin on the final lap. Martin gambled on the soft Michelin rear tyre and won the race around Phillip Island by a comfortable margin. The race was 27 laps long. However, as the laps progressed, the deterioration on his tyres made him a target for the other riders. Zarco made the most of it and won his first race at the highest level for the first time. Francesco Bagnaia, riding for the official Ducati Team, surprised everyone by finishing second, a huge boost to his championship hopes. On the other hand, Jorge Martin's tyre problems cost him the lead and put him in fifth place overall at the finish. Third and fourth places were snatched up by Fabio Di Giannantonio of Gresini Ducati and Brad Binder of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing.

Meanwhile, upfront, Martin was seemingly untouchable as he built a comfortable two-second lead with 10 laps to go. Dramatic moments included the first rider to crash, Joan Mir, who went down at turn four after making contact with Luca Marini. Race officials reviewed the situation and decided no further action was required.

Also Read: MotoGP: Johann Zarco Confirms LCR Ride in 2024, No Switch to Repsol Honda

MotoGP Australian Grand Prix: 2023 Phillip Island Circuit Race Result

The race for second place heated up as Martin's advantage grew to more than three seconds, with Di Giannantonio pulling away from Bagnaia and then putting his sights on Binder. With nine laps to go, Di Giannantonio flawlessly passed Binder, and in laps 20 and 21, he began to close the gap on Martin's lead. Even after Binder made a spectacular rider to move into second place, Martin's lead was cut to less than half a second with just five laps to go.

JO-JO! The back flip returns!

Seven years later and @JohannZarco nails the landing! #AustralianGP ???????? pic.twitter.com/ypZamKfIF8

— MotoGP™ (@MotoGP) October 21, 2023

With only three laps to go, Binder closed the gap to 1.2 seconds, and Zarco passed Di Giannantonio to take third. Although Martin benefited from Zarco's pass on Binder on the previous lap, the latter's tyre problems ultimately proved unsustainable. Zarco made a daring move into turn four on the final lap to challenge his teammate, and Bagnaia followed suit. Martin, who had been in first place for every lap up until that time, fell to fifth.

After slowing down, Zarco performed his signature backflip, a throwback to his 2016 Moto2 days of victory celebration. Due to the poor outlook for Sunday, the Grand Prix event was moved to Saturday afternoon.

Also Read: MotoGP: Marc Marquez Reveals One Year Off From Racing was an Option Before Gresini Move

MotoGP Australian Grand Prix: The Championship

Bagnaia now has a 27-point championship lead heading into Sunday's sprint race after Martin dropped to fifth place. Behind the leaders, Marco Bezzecchi rode his VR46 Ducati to sixth place, and hometown hero Jack Miller finished seventh on his KTM. As Aprilia's top rider, Aleix Espargaro did exceptionally well.

Ducati riders filled the next two spots, with Alex Marquez of Gresini in ninth and Enea Bastianini of the factory team rounding out the top 10. Following Martin's lead and betting on soft rear tyres, Marc Marquez also got off to a fast start on his Honda, but he eventually faded to a 15th-place finish, much behind Fabio Quartararo's winning Yamaha. Augusto Fernandez of Tech3 GasGas and teammate Joan Mir of Marquez's Honda squad both crashed during the race.