Johann Zarco wins wild Australian MotoGP

What is usually a frantic edge-of-your-seat 27-lap grand prix, the 2023 Australian round of the MotoGP started off far more subdued than we’re used to.

Held on the Saturday instead of the traditional Sunday time slot thanks to Phillip Island’s reliably unreliable weather, it was pole man Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Ducati) who grabbed the holeshot from front-row starter Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM), the Spaniard eager to make up for his Indonesian DNF while holding a commanding three-second lead.

So eager, in fact, that he was only one of two riders to opt for the soft rear tyre. After smashing the lap record in qualifying earlier on in the day, it was clear he had the speed to make the most of the higher grip in the early stages of the race, and then manage the gap from the front to take an important victory at this stage of the season.

Everything went to plan, too. Both he and Binder had a 1.2-second lead over championship leader Pecco Bagnaia (Team Lenovo Ducati) as early as lap two, with Fabio ‘Diggia’ Di Giannantonio (Gresini Ducati), Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda), home hero Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM) and Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Ducati) all desperate to not let the two at the front disappear.

Diggia passed Bagnaia for third place on lap three as Martin began to break the resolve of Binder in second, but for the next dozen or so laps, it was an unusually restrained affair as Martin extended what was a one-second lead on lap four out to almost four seconds by lap 16. Binder, likewise kept Diggia around one second behind, while Bagnaia – as far back as 1.6sec behind his fellow Italian on lap eight – reduced the gap to third place to a tenth of second by lap 18.

However it was only when Marquez’ soft rear tyre started fading did onlookers get a sniff of what could transpire at the front of what was becoming an increasingly intriguing race. The first signs of trouble came when Miller dived under the Spaniard at Turn 10 on lap 12, the first of nine riders who would eventually pass the Repsol Honda man in the following 15 laps.

Still, at the front Martin looked in control. Even when Diggia drafted passed Binder for second place down the straight to start lap 19, the gap to Martin was a healthy 3.4 seconds with just nine laps left to run. Bagnaia was now four tenths adrift in fourth, his hands full with Zarco now all over his rear wheel.

Martin’s gap reduced to 2.8-seconds on lap 21, as Zarco eventually found a way past the factory Ducati of Bagnaia down the 900-metre straight the next time around. With Zarco finding some late-race speed, Binder pushed his way back through on Diggia for second, as Bagnaia did what he could to hang on to the riders ahead.

With the lead down to less than two seconds, Zarco eased his way past Diggia down the straight to start lap 26 of 27, he sliced passed Binder at Turn 4, sending the South African wide which would allow both Diggia and Bagnaia through, Martin ahead now visibly in trouble.

As they crossed the line to start the final lap, Martin had just 0.4sec in hand over his teammate. And despite a world championship being on the line, the lure of a first premier-class win was just too great for the 33-year-old Frenchman who passed the Spaniard into Turn 4, pushing him slightly wide, leaving room for Bagnaia to capitalise and lunge up the inside of his title rival – all Martin could do was shake his head.

Diggia dived under Martin at the ultra-fast Hayshed, relegating the once-dominant leader off the podium, while Binder, with superior drive grip out of the final turn also crossed the line before the Spaniard, who went from first to fifth in just eight corners.

Not only was it Zarco’s first MotoGP victory in what was his 120th premier-class start, but Di Gianntonio also celebrated his first-ever premier class podium in third place, as he does his search for a ride in 2024 no harm.

Miller, who was in ninth place with two laps to go, passed Alex Marquez (Gresini Ducati) on the penultimate lap, while both he and Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Ducati) ahead of him drafted passed Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) on the straight to start the final lap. 

Almost nine seconds behind Zarco, Bezzecchi finished sixth ahead of Miller, Espargaro, Alex Marquez and Enea Bastianini (Team Lenovo Ducati).

So, despite leading for the all but eight corners of the Australian Grand Prix, Martin’s 18-point deficit to Bagnaia in the championship standings increased to 27 points with four rounds left to run. The eventual cancellation of the Sprint race on Sunday meant he wasn’t given the opportunity to limit the damage either before heading to Thailand this weekend.

As it stands, Bagnaia has 366 points to Martin’s 339, Bezzechi (293) is third ahead of Binder (224) and Zarco (187).