Two points and positives for Johann Zarco at Silverstone

The image of the four Hondas, the two official ones of Joan Mir and Luca Marini, as well as the two of Team LCR of Johann Zarco and Takaaki Nakagami, at the back of the peloton MotoGP, is all too usual in this year 2024. But at Silverstone, on a fast track that he likes, the French rider managed to raise his level of play, on a bike that he is still learning to tame. This is the main positive point that Johann Zarco takes away from this British trip, which saw him finish in fourteenth place twice, and therefore score two points on Sunday.

“Overall the weekend was pretty good, I improved in terms of confidence on the bike. I drove the machine much better than usual and it allowed me to get closer to the group in front, who usually escape very quickly. There I had the speed to stay with them, that’s the positive point of the weekend”, he explained, before getting slightly annoyed by a small error which cost him more points: “At the end of the race, I was upset because a mistake cost me a lot, but this desire to stay with this group pushed me to make a mistake. I started to slip in the rankings, and it's annoying, because I was managing well. I thought Morbidelli was going to quickly pass me after his double long lap and leave, so I wanted to go with him. But he wasn't really overtaking, he was playing yo-yo and that allowed me to follow him once he passed Marini. »

Zarco impressed by Marini

The Frenchman also greeted his Italian counterpart, with whom he was able to fight for a few laps. Crucial loops in the fight which pitted him higher up in the standings against Maverick Viñales or Jack Miller, but which were important to also realize the way the other Honda drivers pilot this very capricious machine. Marini being by far the member of the Japanese team having the most difficulties since the start of the season, it was important to see him more confident.

“Luca did a very good job, he rode very well, and when I was behind him he defended a lot. He played the move well, it stopped me from overtaking him quickly, and maybe taking the place of Viñales or Miller at the end, I missed a lap or two. It's a shame, but it was good to fight. A mistake really cost me this top 10 of the day which seemed possible. »

Finally in control of his RC213V, Zarco was able to correctly manage the fuel and tires, two factors which made this British Grand Prix difficult for many drivers: “I know that when I start to take control of the bike, I can manage my tires in these kinds of races. Here, there was a problem with fuel consumption and tire wear. On both aspects, I had a margin compared to the others, and that is positive. When I can control, normally the end positions are to my advantage. »

Comments collected by Luca Bartolomeo, at Silverstone.