Johann Zarco takes his best Honda result in Qatar with fourth place – Updates expected for Monday test in Jerez – Test team already in action in Valencia
Johann Zarco made a name for himself at the Qatar Grand Prix, achieving his best result since joining LCR-Honda. The Frenchman initially finished in fifth place, but a penalty for Maverick Vinales (KTM) saw him promoted to fourth. Zarco was immediately behind Franco Morbidelli (VR46-Ducati) and missed out on his first podium finish for Honda by just a few tenths of a second.
“At the end, when Morbidelli passed me, I saw that Aldeguer was there too,” Zarco said. “I did my best to stay as close as possible to Franco. But he also had a good last lap.”
“I’m very happy because I was able to maintain a very good pace. To have the possibility to match that pace for the podium is really fantastic. It’s exactly the kind of race I do this sport for – I love it!“
”Obviously, the collision between Alex Marquez and Di Giannantonio helped me, because when two strong riders lose positions on this track, it’s a big help. Even when Morbidelli lost positions, I didn’t lose any time.”
“I was able to overtake and try to keep up with ‘Pecco’. But that was the most difficult part of the race – trying to stay with ‘Pecco’.” Zarco was driving behind Francesco Bagnaia and in front of Morbidelli for a long time.
He only lost the position to the VR46 rider with four laps remaining. Why was Honda so strong at the Lusail Circuit? After all, it has traditionally been a difficult track for the Japanese brand. Even Marc Marquez only won there once with Honda.
“I said that if we didn’t have a vibration problem on Sunday, I think I can have a good race and stay with the top riders. And that’s exactly what happened,“ says Zarco. ‘We did have a little vibration, but it was under control.’
”It’s just nice to be able to confirm that the speed is there and that things are under control. It’s not easy, but we’re building our performance step by step.” Thanks to Zarco’s good result, Honda is in third place in the manufacturers’ championship.
Top speed is still the RC213V’s Achilles’ heel, but Zarco was clever in compensating for the disadvantage: “I knew that if I came out of the last corner behind the top riders, I could save at least two tenths per lap thanks to slipstreaming.”
“When I was riding alone, I may have lost a little. Since I’m much slower on the straights, I had to brake later. But apart from that, the slipstream was a great help. Without it, I was doing well on the rest of the track – that helped too.”
“We only lose time in fifth and sixth gear,” says Zarco about the 1.068-kilometre straight in Lusail. ‘But I knew that this wouldn’t be too much of a problem here. It doesn’t help for the battle, but that’s how my bike is at the moment.’
Luca Marini also in the top 10
With Luca Marini in tenth place, a second Honda was in the top 10. The Italian was 15 seconds behind winner Marc Marquez (Ducati) and was in a large group with Pedro Acosta (KTM) and Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia).
Marini also made up positions despite his top speed disadvantage. “It’s a little more difficult to fight against the others like this. But at least I was able to show good overtaking maneuvers in some corners. It was a good race,” the Italian nods.
“The pace was there, and it was much better compared to the sprint. But still, we have to slow down a bit when the rear tire degrades because of the vibrations. I think it’s a problem that affects everyone. Every manufacturer had vibrations here.“
”But it looks like we suffer from it more than the others. Because for us, it’s in every corner. And we have to slow down about two to three tenths per lap for the entire race. That’s a shame.”
Joan Mir did not compete in the sprint on Saturday due to a gastrointestinal infection. The Spaniard was back at the start on Sunday. However, he had to give up in the pits. This was not due to his physical condition, but to a technical problem.
That was consequential damage from a collision with Fabio Di Giannantonio. The VR46 driver crashed into Mir’s side in turn 6. “Diggia” also received a penalty for this. He had to give up one position in the race.
In just under two weeks, the European season opener will take place in Spain. There is no long straight in Jerez, which is why Honda has high hopes. “We are also getting some updates from Honda for Jerez,” Zarco looks ahead.
“I don’t know if we’ll have them on the race weekend or not until the test. What we – and the technicians – have been asking for for a while will now be available in Jerez. Maybe there will be an opportunity to find a better set-up to get closer.”
According to Marini, updates will not be available until the Monday test. Preparations for this are already in full swing. This week, Aleix Espargaro will test in Valencia on Tuesday and Wednesday. Stefan Bradl will also take part in these private tests.
