After the agreement reached between his current employer Tech 3 and KTM, Johann finds himself at a crossroads for the following season. Some doors are already closed, while others open with more or less interest. While negotiations are currently going well, although the first Grand Prix has not yet taken place, let's see what possibilities are available to Zarco.
Yamaha: No
Johann wants a factory bike, and both Yamahas are allocated. Maverick Vinales has already signed, and Valentino Rossi has made it clear to Qatar that he will sign when he personally decides, but that his presence in 2019 and 2020 will be in no doubt.
Aprilia: No
In 2015, Alvaro Bautista finished tenth in England for the inaugural RS-GP season. He finished seventh at Sepang and Phillip Island in 2016, and his teammate Stefan Bradl seventh in Argentina. Alex Espargaro finished sixth in Aragon in 2017. It's hard to see Johann interested in such an uncompetitive machine.
Suzuki: Very unlikely
After 14 disastrous Grands Prix in 2017, Suzuki came out of the water at the end of the season with fourth places for Andrea Iannone in Motegi and Alex Rins in Valencia. The 2018 GSX-RR looks better, but hard to compare to the Honda RC213V and Ducati GP18 at the moment.
On the other hand, Suzuki had established a pre-agreement with Zarco last year, then did not respect it subsequently by preferring alex rins in French. Zarco's confidence in Suzuki is therefore very limited.
Ducati: Very unlikely
The GP17 had the wind in its sails last season, capable with Andrea Dovizioso of challenging Marc Marquez until the last Grand Prix at home in Valencia. On a technical level, this would be a good option for Johann. But the Luigi Dall'Igna-Paolo Ciabatti-Davide Tardozzi triumvirate makes no secret of the fact that it wants to keep its two current drivers.
Dovi clearly fits the bill, and Jorge Lorenzo has had the trust, esteem and affection of Dall'Igna for many years. A failure by the Spaniard would be a personal bankruptcy for Gigi. Still at Ducati, there will remain a third factory bike at Pramac (that of Danilo Petrucci) but the salary is not the same as for the riders of the official team.
KTM: Possible
The Austrian manufacturer is progressing at lightning speed and has everything it needs to win: experience, motivation, skill, talent, Red Bull money and highly qualified personnel. He will enter four factory motorcycles from 2019, two within the official team and two at Tech 3. In the Var team, Zarco is right at home, so why change a winning team? The Austrian factory team will certainly offer higher remuneration.
Honda: Possible
Every year we wonder who will replace Pedrosa at Repsol Honda, and every year Dani gets back on Dani's saddle. Why not a few more years, since that seems to suit the decision-makers Honda, Repsol and Dorna. The new team manager Alberto Puig is not an unconditional supporter of Dani (who once fired him), but he is not the one who pays, therefore not he who decides.
Pedrosa brings some peace of mind to Marc Marquez because he will never beat him, while the reigning World Champion said he himself was worried by Zarco.
Marc and Johann in the same team, that could create sparks on the track. And with the recruitment of Zarco, Marquez could feel a lack of confidence, a betrayal on the part of Honda. There remains the third factory RC213V, entrusted to Cal Crutchlow in the care of Lucio Cecchinello's LCR team. This probably won't be Johann's priority.
Cohabitation with Marquez, as we have seen, would certainly spark. But it would have the advantage for the Repsol Honda team of having a valid top driver if the other gets injured. And we have already seen in the past the best team have the two best riders of the moment, like MV Agusta in 500 with Giacomo Agostini and Phil Read from 1972 to 1974, Yamaha in 500 with Eddie Lawson and Wayne Rainey in the team of Kenny Roberts in 1990, Mick Doohan and Alex Criville at Repsol Honda in the 500 from 1995 to 1999. The last high-performance duo in recent history was made up of Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo, tumultuous teammates from 2008 to 2010 (Fiat Yamaha Team), then from 2013 (Yamaha Factory Racing) to 2016 (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP).
Photos © Z&F Grand Prix School
