Australian MotoGP, Phillip Island – Race Results

*Rookie.

Eleven times a runner-up and competing in his 120th start, Johann Zarco has taken a long-awaited debut MotoGP victory in dramatic circumstances at the 2023 Australian MotoGP at Phillip Island.

Zarco’s team-mate and title contender Jorge Martin led for all but the final lap when the Spaniard’s soft tyre gamble backfired spectacularly and he was swamped by the chasing pack.

Reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia – who spent much of the race in danger of having his title lead sliced to single digits – instead extended his advantage with second place

Meanwhile, Fabio di Giannantonio put himself in the shop window for the vacant Honda rider by delivering a brilliant first MotoGP podium in third.

Martin faded to the back of the lead group, behind KTM’s Brad Binder in fifth, but still crossed the line just one agonising second from victory.

Zarco produced a trademark backflip, not seen since Moto2 in 2016, after stopping on the slowdown lap.

The Grand Prix race was brought forward to Saturday afternoon due to the extreme weather forecast for Sunday.

A further 12 points will be up for grabs in Sunday afternoon’s Sprint race, should the weather conditions allow it to proceed as planned.

Martin, who began the race 18 points behind Bagnaia after falling from the lead at Mandalika last Sunday, is now 27 points adrift.

• Australian MotoGP Sunday changes – earlier races, war added
• Australian Moto2: Latest Results
• Australian Moto3: Latest Results

Most riders picked the medium rear tyre but Martin signalled his intentions by joining only Marc Marquez (7th on grid) and Pol Espargaro (11th) rolling the dice on the soft.

All riders chose the hard front with the exception of Joan Mir, Raul Fernandez and Franco Morbidelli.

Martin, who qualified on pole with a new lap record, duly held the advantage over Binder and Bagnaia through the opening turns, with Jack Miller delighting the local fans by rising up to fourth.

Marc Marquez muscled his way through to sixth by the end of the opening lap but his early challenge soon fizzled out, as Zarco took up pursuit of the leaders.

The big question mark was whether Martin’s rear tyre would last as the pursuing quartet of di Giannantonio, Binder, Zarco and Bagnaia began gaining ground in the closing stages.

Martin looked like he had done enough, but his once 3.5sec lead evaporated as the last lap began. Zarco snatched victory into the Turn 4 hairpin, when Bagnaia also dived under Martin to beat the #89 on track for the first time since the Catalunya Sprint. di Giannantonio and Binder soon followed.

Seven seconds behind Martin was Marco Bezzecchi, while Miller faded to eighth and Marc Marquez all the way to 15th, just behind Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo.

“4

Joan Mir ed after contact with Luca Marini, the FIM Stewards declaring it had been a racing incident.

Augusto Fernandez also hit the ground at the Turn 4 hairpin.

Marco Bezzecchi’s Indonesian heroics, a week after breaking his (right) collarbone, meant the VR46 rider had closed to 45 points from Martin. Team-mate Luca Marini, who took a debut pole position at Mandalika, also expects the condition of his broken (left) collarbone to be slightly improved.

After halting a planned comeback in Indonesia due to pain from his recently fractured ribs, Alex Marquez is back on track at Phillip Island.

However last year’s winner Alex Rins has withdrawn from the remainder of the Australian MotoGP weekend after suffering intense pain from his healing leg fractures. The LCR Honda rider will undergo scans to understand the exact source of the pain. Rins was 12th and top Honda on Friday.

Marc Marquez took his only podium of the season in Australia last year.