The day of glory has finally arrived for Johann Zarco! The Frenchman won the first Grand Prix of his career in the MotoGP category on Saturday in Australia, ahead of Italian Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati), who increased his lead at the top of the championship. The 33-year-old from Avignon, who is competing in his seventh season in the premier category of MotoGP, will have waited for his 120th Grand Prix to finally achieve his first success and become the fifth Frenchman to win in MotoGP.
“The feeling is incredible. I had a good start and had to fight a lot. When I was behind Pecco [Bagnaia], I held on to stay in touch. We saw that Jorge Martin was slowing down a lot and I tried to pass. After so many races, finally winning gives me so much emotion… I still have trouble realizing it,” he explained directly.
Grand Prix moved to Saturday due to weather
Double Moto2 world champion (2015, 2016), Zarco, who had already obtained 19 podiums including 4 this season, finally obtained a victory that was denied to him on the handlebars of his Ducati-Pramac, the best bike on the field that he will soon no longer be piloting. The Frenchman will in fact continue his career in MotoGP in the Honda-LCR team where he will have a hard time reaching the top as the Japanese bike is in difficulty this season.
The Grand Prix had been brought forward to Saturday by championship organizers due to a strong wind warning issued for Sunday. The sprint (13 laps), initially scheduled for Saturday, will take place on Sunday (1 p.m. local, 4 a.m. French) if weather conditions permit.