Johann Zarco, the French rider with a proven track record, is enjoying a resounding renaissance with Honda LCR in 2025. After adventures with Yamaha, KTM, and a fine run with Ducati—where he claimed his first MotoGP victory and a slew of podium finishes—2024 was a rocky year. Honda, frankly not at its best, relegated all its riders to the bottom of the standings. But this season, something clicked, and Zarco, more optimistic than ever, feels the podium is within reach, as he enthusiastically confided.
Johann zarco is experiencing an unexpected renaissance in the MotoGP paddock. Having moved to Honda LCR in 2024 after a final successful adventure with Ducati, the Frenchman seems today to have found new motivation at the handlebars of an improved RC213V, a thousand miles from the nightmares of the previous season. I am very happy to see that there is hope for something even better. I did not expect that " he confides in an interview given to moto.it.
Last year, zarco and all the drivers Honda were languishing at the bottom of the rankings, disillusioned by a capricious machine. But this year, the tone has changed. zarco is the best representative of the Japanese brand in the general classification, regularly flirting with the top 10. A goal he had set for himself upon his arrival: " One of my first goals was to remain the first Honda rider, to maintain this legitimacy »
Returning to his atypical trajectory, zarco did not dodge the painful memories of his time at KTM in 2019. , where he had broken his contract during the season: " toward 26 or 27 years, I would say that I have become a mature pilot. That's when I learned to manage my emotions better.. But at KTM, I was afraid of losing the rhythm. I wanted something else, other opportunities. »
Johann Zarco: “ To move forward, you sometimes have to close your mind to your old ways... to better open up to others »
And those opportunities came. Three races as a substitute at Honda at the end of 2019, then the providential call of Gigi Dall'Igna in Ducati : “ In Valencia, in 2019, Gigi told me to trust the Avintia project. And they kept their word. » One thing led to another, zarco imposes itself in the universe Ducati, until obtaining this historic victory in 2023 – his first in MotoGP – and numerous podiums.
Today, zarco highlights his ability to question his functioning, a rare trait among champions: “ When you're a champion, you're locked into your certainties. But to move forward, you sometimes have to close your mind to your old ways... to better open up to others. It's a constant tension »
It is this open-mindedness and this in-depth work that bears fruit at Honda. Even though no major visible new features have been added to the bike, zarco notes that optimizing small details makes the difference: “ there are no major external developments, but we make better use of what we have. And that really helps »
With 38 point registered after four Grand Prix, zarco far exceeds expectations with its sixth position in the provisional general classification, synonymous with the first non-Ducati rider ...
He is no longer content with just surviving: he aims high, but with lucidity. 33 years, the Frenchman knows that he is playing for big this season, on a Honda under reconstruction, but which is beginning to meet its ambitions. The road is still long, but I feel that something is possible here. " he concludes. The story of a pilot who never stopped believing in his chances, even in the darkest moments.
