Johann Zarco remains hopeful as he recalls Marc Marquez's performance at Portimao last year, seeing it as a good omen for Honda ahead of this weekend's MotoGP Portuguese Grand Prix. Last year, the Spaniard started from pole thanks to an opportunistic wake, before securing a third place in the Sprint, close until the end. Unfortunately, a racing incident saw Marquez lose control and hit Miguel Oliveira during the Grand Prix, leaving Alex Rins as the top Honda finisher in tenth place. However, Zarco remains optimistic, convinced that the unique route of Portimao suits the capabilities of the Honda better than at Losail, where he achieved the best Honda time in 12th position.
« We miss him a little at every turn, but I am convinced that we will progress and improve the bike, " underlines Johann zarco. “ I feel good on the bike, which is already positive."
« Everything becomes clearer with each piece of information collected. So let's wait and see in Portugal, on a different circuit. Marc's speed last year there was impressive. This suggests that we might be less disadvantaged than in Qatar, on a fast circuit » analyzes the Frenchman.
Johann Zarco: “ the bike is not yet ready for the podium, but it is definitely better than the last two years »
« If we manage to do better in Portugal than in Qatar, that will give us good indications of our strengths and weaknesses. » he assures before specifying: “ The Qatar Grand Prix laid a solid foundation for us. Long test runs never give us as much information as a real race. »
Then he recalls the situation of Honda en MotoGP : " we have to tackle these first races as a phase of development. We are aware that the bike is not yet ready for the podium, but it is definitely better than the last two years."
« With a few concessions, we get more testing and new parts to test. This will obviously be beneficial. It's all about finding the right balance on the bike. It's not a big secret, but it's a challenge that every team must overcome. Honda is on the right track »concludes the tricolor.
