If there was one rider who had every reason to be disappointed by the cancellation of the Australian Grand Prix, it was Johann Zarco . He had indeed achieved his second-best qualifying result of the year on Saturday, securing third place on the grid, and had made his best start to the race by staying in the leading group, before experiencing an electronic problem on his Honda , which forced him to retire.
Nevertheless, the predicted rain was a major advantage, as the Frenchman is known for his agility in wet and mixed conditions. Having won his first ever MotoGP Grand Prix on this same Phillip Island circuit in 2023, he could see promising results, with a podium finish clearly within his grasp.
So, there was disappointment at the time of the Race Direction announcement, but Johann Zarco felt above all nostalgia at the idea of no longer riding on this mythical circuit since it will disappear from the calendar next year, and tried to enjoy it during the honor laps made by all the riders.
"There was a slightly emotional aspect to the parade, because I thought to myself, 'This is the last time we'll take a lap on this beautiful track,' so, in a way, it was about saying goodbye to the public. It has a slightly special feel to it, but, well, that's how it is. After all, these are the risks of doing a race here in Australia in October ," he told Canal+, sounding rather fatalistic.
“We’ve always had weather problems here. Every year, there have often been delays, sessions cancelled, or rescheduled because of the weather. It’s true that if we could race at the beginning of the year when it’s summer in Australia, we wouldn’t have these problems. But there are other factors that come into play when organizing a calendar.”
