Launched into the extra-European tour with the firm intention of getting closer to the top 10, Johann Zarco is on schedule this Friday at the Indonesian Grand Prix. After spending the morning session at the front, briefly occupying the lead before finishing fifth, he did not go far in the afternoon to snatch a direct qualification for Q2. He only needed 86 thousandths to achieve this.
The performances of the Frenchman, but also of the other residents of the Honda clan, confirm that the Japanese machine is making clear progress and that it is at ease on the Mandalika track. An observation which is a continuation of what was observed in Misano, Johann Zarco confirming to what extent the recent developments made to motorcycling are bearing fruit.
“We have greatly improved the turning and stability in fast corners, which helps a lot”he recalls. “It was good in Misano, the developments were good there, we made good progress, but everyone was too good in Misano. The circuit was perfect so all the drivers felt good. Here, the track n “It’s not as good as Misano and I knew we could have a better opportunity to fight for Q2 and get a good position.”
“We have better things [sur la moto] so we can try different settings. Afterwards, we need a little time because when changing circuits, there is always some adaptation to do. But this morning I was surprised to be performing well, perhaps because the front of the bike is good here. Maybe the other bikes turn too well and don’t have that feeling at the front, whereas for us it was good.”
The base is much better than at the start of the year.
Johann Zarco confirms Honda’s progress.
Photo de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
In this situation, there is no question of expressing an ounce of disappointment by finishing at the gates of the top 10. The Frenchman wants to continue his momentum and he is also very pleasantly surprised by the level he has displayed throughout this Friday.
“It was even better than I expected, so that’s pretty cool, and I hope I can replicate that performance tomorrow and even do even better to have a chance for a good sprint race.”he explains. “We have the same bike as in Misano and now we have to work more on what is a bit of a new bike.”
“We are so far from the leading bike that we have to go through this development phase and accept that we don’t have time to make small modifications and work a lot on the feeling, because for the moment, we’re trying to find the base today, the base is much better than at the start of the year, it’s good for us.
