Although he broke his contract with KTM in the past, Johann Zarco believes that his situation was completely different from that of Jorge Martín.
On the eve of the British GP, one topic is stirring up the entire MotoGP paddock: rumors surrounding Jorge Martín's situation, who may wish to terminate his contract with Aprilia, having barely ridden the RS-GP due to the serious injuries he has sustained since the start of the season. Several riders who have terminated their contracts themselves have been questioned on this subject, including Johann zarco.
In 2019, the Frenchman saw his adventure with KTM come to a premature end. After signing for two seasons, the number 5 rider became disillusioned with the RC16, which he was unable to perform well on. By mutual agreement with the manufacturer, he terminated his 2020 season contract, before being replaced by the team at the Aragon Grand Prix at the end of September. He then found himself without a ride, before experiencing an unexpected resurgence.
Called in to replace the injured Takaaki Nakagami for the final three Grands Prix of the season with the LCR Honda team, he eventually secured a contract with the Avintia team for 2020. Performing well despite riding the older Ducati model, he managed to impress thanks to his results and signed for Pramac starting in 2021.
Johann Zarco and Jorge Martín were teammates at Pramac
However, zarco believes that his situation at the time was in no way comparable to that of Jorge Martín, if the rumors turned out to be true. "We cannot compare situations.", he said during the press conference organized by MotoGP.com.
“I was racing and I wasn't performing well. I wasn't World Champion. I could also doubt my abilities as a rider, and I was afraid of losing what I had felt in the past when I rode the Yamaha. I had spoken to KTM and told them I didn't want to do it the following year. I had no other option, but I preferred to start something again rather than continue to have more doubts.”
"It's definitely not the same situation as Jorge because he can't doubt himself. He's a World Champion, and the way he won the title last year was incredible. He's definitely been unlucky this year, but he hasn't raced yet. So these rumors that he wants to break his contract, leave, or find a deal are quite strange. In any case, you can't compare, even if I had broken my contract."
