Zarco ambitious before the French GP: "I have the possibility of aiming for the podium"

With only seven points behind fabio quartararo, Johann Zarco ranks seventh in the World Riders' Championship, and is also among the "best of the rest" behind Ducati's domination.

Visibly optimistic, the Honda LCR rider seems to be expecting a lot from this new race weekend. Facing a crowd won over by the French team's break, Zarco is counting on Le Mans to allow him to reconnect with good feelings. "The Jerez test allowed me to erase the bad feelings. During the weekend, we had tested a lot of things to try to find solutions, but I couldn't find the good feelings from the beginning of the year, and that was getting on my nerves, he confessed. Luckily, during the test, we tried something that I didn't like last year."

"We thought that, given the evolution of my riding style, it was worth trying again. The basic problem was finally solved by the Frenchman and his engineers. It was just another suspension adjustment, and it freed me up. It's cool to have simple solutions again. If a problem comes back, we can react faster."

No new engine for Zarco at Le Mans

Asked if the Honda LCR team would benefit from the new engine introduced by the factory team after Jerez, Johann Zarco explained that this would not be the case. "No, not yet. I haven't tested it at Jerez. We're working on other things, and we already have enough elements to be competitive. The factory team really liked this engine, so they'll continue developing it this weekend." »

The person concerned would clearly like to perform in front of a public whose loyalty and fervor he praised despite the recent choices made by the French driver. "The energy is a little different because the bike is improving, the results are good. But the feeling with the crowd is really similar to last year.", he addedI was very impressed last year because after a great year with Ducati, I thought the fans would be a little sad to see me come back (to LCR. Ed.), but no, they supported me and told me that we had taken on this challenge together, it was just incredible.
And now, since I have the opportunity to aim for the podium, they are perhaps even happier. But the support remains at least as strong, and it's magical. I thank them for that."

On a smaller circuit than those in Spain or Argentina, Zarco, like Marc Marquez, is hoping for good weather for the weekend's races. Unfortunately, rain looks set to occur at least on Sunday. This will be a determining factor for the Honda rider.

"Dry weather would help me get closer to the podium. If it rains, there are riders like Miller and Márquez who adapt very quickly. If I can adapt as well, then maybe I'll have a real chance of a podium finish."

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