Let's talk MotoGP: But where is Johann Zarco (and Honda)?

The season started a month ago, and with four races including the Sprints, we can already draw conclusions about the hierarchy of manufacturers entered. Well, except for Honda and its drivers, including Johann Zarco. French, by reuniting with the team that welcomed her in 2019 after her failed stint with KTM, she set herself a big challenge. Where is the winged firm in its rise to the top? And where are its pilots? Analysis.

 

Difficult beginnings

 

If you don't see them anymore, I won't blame you. Currently last in the manufacturers' ranking, Honda is struggling. If we completely exclude the pilots' comments, it is difficult to be convinced of its progress during the winter. I would even tend to say that it is worse than the end of the 2023 season; but this is also and above all due to the departure of Marc Marquez at Gresini Ducati. Eight world titles are not so easily replaced.

The RC213V suffers, and honestly, it's hard to see any potential in it. Only three years from the change in regulations, I find it very difficult to imagine a revival under the Honda awning. And the funds from the parent company will not be enough to turn the house around, as if by magic. The argument that the Japanese would one day return because of their means is quite captious. I'm not saying that it's false and that they will vegetate in the depths of the rankings ad vitam aeternam, just that money is not everything. Aprilia, which does not have a tenth of Honda's financial power, does much better; Besides, where have these pennies been since 2020, the date the forfeiture began?

 

 

To summarize, I have trouble seeing potential in this machine because I no longer see any in Japan. But others are much better able to judge than me. Namely, the pilots. So, let's focus, one by one, on their respective results.

 

Positive for Zarco

 

He was good, but not more than I imagined. Currently second best rider for Honda, it seemed pretty clear to me that Johann was going to be fast from the start. It didn't fail, with a decent Qatar Grand Prix – finished in the points, unfortunately followed by a Portuguese GP tinged with failure. Four RC213Vs were in the final four qualifying places. No points on Saturday for our Frenchie, and a 15th place on Sunday which propels him to 17th position in the general classification.

 

 

In his case, you have to wait. I know he has a lot of talent, and that he is very sensitive to the mechanical essence of our sport. He tests, often, and well according to his employers. But he was not happy with the pieces brought to Portugal ; which confirms the difficulty Honda finds itself in. Zarco says the Japanese are working tirelessly. I want to believe it, but without discipline and method, the volume of work is nothing. Japan has a much stronger work culture than the United States for example, and that doesn't stop juggernauts of Japanese industry from failing. Wait and see.

 

The Joan Mir surprise

 

I was already expecting to write the article wishing him the best for the future. Joan Mir, in 2023, had an absolutely catastrophic season, undoubtedly the worst for a factory driver in the history of the MotoGP modern. This time, he seems revitalized, even cheerful, at the idea of ​​riding his motorcycle. It's quite surprising, if not impressive. We must not be fooled. Yes, he appears fresher, more cheerful and lighter. On the other hand, he is only 26 years old, and has a MotoGP world champion title under his belt. It's the least he can give to his team.

 

 

The results, too, are average. Okay, he's Honda's first driver. But in the meantime, he finished the Portuguese Grand Prix in 12th position while he had finished in 11th place for his very first outing aboard the beast a year ago. For track gap fanatics; he took 17 seconds from the winner a year ago, compared to 29 this year. Even if this data remains to be weighted – because only the position counts, influenced by the group in which said pilot is found, it is enormous.

Clearly, I am not much more reassured than recently. But hey, at least he looks fitter and still hasn't fallen on Sunday.

 

The hard worker Luca Marini

 

Here again, as for Zarco, mitigating circumstances. I will try to keep it shorter for him because his situation can be summed up in a few words. Luca tries to learn as much as possible, daring to sacrifice his races just to concentrate on the other drivers and his feelings. I didn't expect him to occupy the last position on a recurring basis, of course, but that is understandable given his approach.

He is not trying to go faster, to break everything, to take risks, uncomfortable, to glean a 16th place. Let's give him time.

 

Takaaki Nakagami in distress

 

This is the one that disappointed me the most. Not that I expected much, but his statements are all as scary as each other. He sees no improvement, no avenue, no future in this project. It's pretty terrible, especially when we know that he experienced the entirety of Honda's descent into hell. His Qatar Grand Prix was nothing short of abysmal, and oddly enough, he managed to finish in 14th place in Portugal. The day before the Grand Prix, at the end of a new sprint unworthy of Honda's rich track record – before last, Taka' said he had no sensation emanating from his rear tire, as if he never knew where he was.

If, in interviews, Marini, Mir and Zarco agree to emphasize the potential of the machine, Nakagami appears much more closed off. With big blows " In the wall " and “no solutions”, the Japanese justifies his place at LCR Honda less and less well.

What have you thought of the Hondas so far, and especially of Johann Zarco? Tell me in the comments!

 

 

Cover photo: Michelin Motorsport