Johann Zarco finished tenth in the Barcelona test, where he lined up the laps to work on the Honda RC213V. He is satisfied with having reduced the gap with the best compared to the first months of the season, and is putting forward avenues to work on for 2025.
An interesting test: “A good day for me. It was good to have good conditions, it helped avoid mistakes. And I was still careful at the beginning, but I'm pretty happy with how the times came. »
“I did a lot of laps, quality laps and very short runs, but a lot of runs. I returned to test pilot mode. We try as many things as possible. Our new bike isn't all positive, so that's already information for management for next year. But my feelings are still progressing. »
“I see that I'm still riding better and better, I'm happy for that and after a year on this bike, a year with the team, it was very nice to do the test. Because clearly, I was able to enjoy it more. It's clearly not the same feeling as last year, where I almost went backwards in my feelings. There I started again on new bases. New sensations and these sensations progress, it's very cool. Happy with the day, and especially not to have made any mistakes, not to have fallen and to move forward. »
What was tested: “I don't want to go into detail because I think it's Honda stuff, but I had my racing bike and a new bike. I switched to the new bike to already get a first feeling, I worked a little on the new bike, then I went back to the old one to also work a little on it and make things evolve. I went from one to the other a bit, to see if when we validate something on one bike it works on another. »
Aleix Espargaro : “I haven’t spoken with him yet. I've been in the box all day. I haven't had css sensations yet, I was told about it. He didn't complain too much about the grip, he complained more about the engine. And in fact, behind the KTMs we still lack power, and that is a goal for next year. »
If he expected something much better: ” No. I see that sometimes it doesn't come down to many things and it's hard to find a revolution on the bike. Not too many expectations so as not to be too disappointed, and we have still reduced the gap since the start of the year, and that is important. We'll see what happens next, but there you go. We need to have a better engine, there will be an aero package to evolve, a chassis to improve. »
Joan Mir believes that Honda has not worked hard enough: ” No. It's too much, you can't say that. He doesn't realize the work people do. I understand that he is disappointed but I can't say that, because everyone is struggling. Afterwards, if the best engineers don't find the solution, it's not a pilot who will know better than an engineer what to do. »
Marc Marquez thinks that what Honda is missing compared to Ducati is a leader to set the technical course: “What might be interesting is to see what happens with Romano (Albesiano), because maybe that can help move things along on that side. Then there is a Japanese method which is indeed difficult to get things moving. You're dragging something that's not going well for a long time, and that can be tricky. After at Ducat, there is Gigi (Dall'Igna). I don't know why but he has something extra, and since it's been working for a lot of years, he's on a wave. A huge wave, this wave never stops. I think so, it's a bit of a European method which helps to make things happen more. »
The timeline of upcoming progress: “Again, let's say that in terms of timeline they expect big progress between now and the start of next season, but the big step won't be taken until mid-season. It still takes time. Advancing the engine will be very important. I'm happy to have progressed and this will be my guideline for working this winter before Malaysia. »
