Exhausted like the day before, Johann Zarco was however able to savor his performance on Sunday at the Indonesian Grand Prix. Showing himself “super content” to have signed “a nice ninth place”speaking to Canal+, the LCR Honda driver concluded his best weekend of the season in accounting terms.
He leaves Mandalika with nine points in his bag, having never taken more than four until now in 2024. “There was an opportunity and I’m so happy I took it”he rejoices. “It’s great. Me, who counts the points one by one, I have almost ten in one weekend, it’s great. I said that overseas there could be opportunities, here There seemed to be one as early as Friday, and I took it.”
Of course, the situation does not really change in the championship for the 17th in the standings, who nevertheless asserts himself a little more as the best of the four Honda drivers in the field. The main thing is elsewhere, and obviously in the confirmation of the proper functioning of the developments introduced on the Japanese machine at Misano.
“This disadvantage that we have when accelerating, ultimately here we only have it at the exit of turn 17, so in fact over a whole lap of the track, there is only one place where we loses a lot”analyzes the French pilot. “Everything else, the rows, thanks to the new fairing I was able to fight. We’re going to see at Motegi, where it’s brake-acceleration, but as I’m good at braking, I’m going to try to work on that. And we will see if there really is a big loss in acceleration.”
A good intuition at the start
Johann Zarco confirmed Honda’s progress.
Photo de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Looking back on his race itself, Johann Zarco was pleased to have felt things well at the start, aware that he would still have to deal with this weak point on his Honda. Patient, he judged the situation before him well so as not to get caught in the fall of Jack Miller, who took with him Aleix Espargaró and Álex Márquez.
“[J’ai eu un] good instinct on the first two turns, because at the start, as soon as you put second gear, you can’t move forward well”he explains. “I managed to get very close to the other drivers in the first corner, and I could already feel Miller and Aleix looking for each other a little. When I saw them in the second corner… I didn’t come in with them and I I did well because I was next, I passed and that was already a win.”
“Afterwards, I joined the group in front and there, it wasn’t easy: this yoyo side, the acceleration of the last corner where the bike rears up, we lose a little. I had difficulty being able to overtake but I tried. Once [Brad] Binder passed, I tried to catch up with Fabio [Quartararo]and at the end I was a little dry. Binder attacked me, I tried to respond but his strength is braking and I was unable to find the opening. But I was happy.”
The satisfaction of this successful weekend in its entirety will have come at the price of a great outburst of energy on a physical level, which Johann Zarco nevertheless accepts.
“There is part of my riding style, because even with the Ducati, in races like that at the end of the race, I have difficulty moving my body”he admits. “It would be something to be able to unlock, even if my style has proven itself, but I think there is always something to gain to be more efficient.”
