Johann Zarco of Pramac Racing secured his first MotoGP race victory in nearly seven years in the premier class by winning the Australian Grand Prix on Saturday. Meanwhile, his teammate and championship contender, Jorge Martin, who had taken pole position by setting a new lap record, lost the lead on the final lap due to a loss of grip. This allowed Ducati's Francesco Bagnaia to claim second place, with Fabio Di Giannantonio, who does not have a seat for the next year with Gresini Racing, finishing third. Martin, after a strong start, ended up in fifth place, falling 27 points behind Bagnaia in the riders' championship.

In a post-race interview, Zarco expressed his elation, saying, "It's a wonderful feeling, and it's hard to believe. Finally, after so many races, I've won. I'm savoring this moment. I want to cry, but not just yet."

The race took place on Saturday due to a weather forecast predicting adverse conditions at Phillip Island on Sunday, marking the first time the race had been rescheduled since the Dutch Grand Prix in 2015.

Martin had an outstanding start, quickly pulling away from the field and extending his lead over Brad Binder to over two seconds in the early laps. However, Bagnaia slipped to fourth. Di Giannantonio made an impressive move from sixth to third and put pressure on Binder, who couldn't catch up to Martin.

Despite not having been on the podium this season, Di Giannantonio eventually overtook Binder to claim second place with nine laps to go. However, as the race neared its conclusion, he was caught by Binder and Zarco.

Martin, who had been leading comfortably, began to struggle with grip in the final laps, allowing Zarco to move into second place, with Bagnaia also passing him. Martin ultimately finished in fifth place.

Zarco commented on the turn of events, saying, "I had a good start, had to fight initially, and then I picked up the pace. Martin was well ahead. I conserved my tires and made my move when I saw Martin struggling. It was a surprising but welcome opportunity."

At the finish line, both Di Giannantonio and Binder managed to overtake Martin, leaving the Spaniard to reflect on what could have been, especially after crashing out while leading the Indonesia Grand Prix the previous weekend