MotoGP Test Buriram J1, Johann Zarco (Honda/7): Never 2 without 3?

Johann Zarco started the MotoGP test in Buriram as he finished the three-day test in Sepang, 7th!

On paper, in a raw way, this seems to confirm the progress made by Honda this winter, but fans of the French rider could be slightly disappointed by seeing the gap with the fastest of the day, Marc Marquez, which stands at 0,777s, almost the same as in Malaysia (0,711). In addition, number 5 was dethroned by Luca Marini, by a small margin (33 thousandths) but still dethroned from his unofficial status as the fastest Honda rider. Finally, his 1'29.961 obtained today remains slower than the 1'29.797 he achieved in Q2 last October, not to mention the 1'29.682 which earned him direct passage to Q2 during practice.

So, Johann zarco Will he improve his time on the last day of testing of the 2025 off-season? Will he be able to maintain or improve his 7th position at the end of these last preparatory tests?

Today, the Frenchman's main objective was to select the best components for the 2025 season on the Chang International Circuit, and in particular tested a new rear wing, a monoplane this time, combining a rear blade and vertical fins.

The driver and his team also worked on various settings and adjustments that proved effective, allowing them to secure 5th position in the second session, after a more modest 12th place in the morning. After 6 fine-tuning runs, including a 13-lap race simulation, the LCR driver therefore launched into the attack on the clock at the end of the day, like Marc Marquez. Just two short laps, with a time of 1'29.961, which also corresponded to his ideal time.

The most optimistic will think that a single test is probably not enough to get the most out of the RC213V, and that this will be improved tomorrow morning, when the track is cooler. The others will wait with some concern for the competitors' time trials, especially since tomorrow will be a crucial day to prepare for the race in the hot hours, with a long run planned in the afternoon. It will be essential to maximize data collection around 14 p.m. local time, with testing remaining testing and the race remaining the race.

Johann zarco : “I’m really happy. When we put the new tyre on we managed to do a good job and I’m happy with how everything is working. I knew I could be fast. Throughout the day we tested a lot of things that proved useful. Tomorrow afternoon we will do a long run to get some feeling and prepare for the race weekend. We still haven’t made that big step forward that would make us say ‘now we can fight’ but I think we have, because Marini was also quite fast today, and when we have to set a time it seems we are more competitive than last year. So it’s a step forward, but we always want more.”