Johann Zarco finished 11th at the Malaysian Grand Prix after fighting for a long time for the top-10. The Frenchman takes a positive assessment of the overseas tour and is delighted to now be able to constantly fight with the other manufacturers, with the exception of Ducati.
The grueling Sepang race: “Better managed than yesterday, a little more control. It was necessary because it was hard at the end, I was very hot, probably also a little increase in stress because the tire is deteriorating, you feel that you can no longer do anything on the bike, you slow down but you think you're wasting time. And in fact everyone was falling in terms of times. Hard at the end but a decent start. I was happy to have this control after 2-3 laps, seeing that the pace is correct. I didn't have any more to stick to the others, but no one overtook me anymore. It wasn't bad. »
“At one point I said to myself that we had to take a break with Bezzecchi to get back to Viñales and Rins. Finally, when I tried that the tire deteriorated, I couldn't catch Rins, I made a small mistake, Bezzecchi got closer, a little fight, and when I got out of the way when he overtook Augusto (Fernandez ) also overtook me. I wanted to follow them but I had a tire problem. Happy, hard to do better because there was management, speed, no errors. That's pretty much where we should be. »
The results of the overseas tour: “Very positive, super happy. I announced it, there are ways to do good things overseas and that validated Honda's work. We have reached a milestone. We would like better but when we think that at the start of the year, I struggled to be 19th and we finished 40 seconds behind first. There we take a hit, we are 27 seconds behind, but we are in a fight with the other bikes, which was not possible at the start of the year. A step from the past. The top-10 objective at the start of the year is achievable, it is becoming feasible, we can announce it and that is very positive. »
The next areas of work: “There will be another step in aero, we are not at our best. Then you have to see if you need to rebalance the bike to save time when braking; although the Ducati is strong under acceleration, it is under braking where it makes the most difference. This is the idea to have for the months to come. A way to slow down better, perhaps use the rear better. Their bike seems to have more weight in the rear, which is better. It's mostly Ducati, because even KTM has difficulties there. »
The last Grand Prix in Barcelona: “In May it was hot, and hot asphalt makes a big difference, everyone struggles. It will be a track that we have already ridden on. Let's see if we move up the rankings and find ourselves in the top 10. It's a lesser evil to go to Barcelona. This is the most logical. »
The 2025 pre-season test also in Barcelona: “In Spain the weather can be very nice, we are in a period where it will be cool but we can have a sunny day, therefore good temperatures. We also have to see what Michelin brings in tires, will we have the same selection as during the summer or at least a step up at the front. »
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