English
Italiano
The LCR team is preparing to leave Thailand with a smile, thanks to the good result achieved by its riders in the first Grand Prix of the year. As happened several times before in 2024, Johann Zarco was the first of the Honda riders at the finish line with a 7th place and thanks to the crash of his brand mate Joan Mir.
"I'm quite happy with this 7th position because it was what I was hoping for, but you never know if you're going to get what you want," the Frenchman commented at the end of the race, explaining how he managed to get the position, "The strategy of using a different tire from the Sprint turned out to be quite good and I'm happy to have improved with this bike and to have the sensations I need. The first 10 laps were perhaps the most difficult for me because I had to try to manage the medium rear tire, while the others were able to battle a bit more with the soft. I kept my composure when I saw Morbidelli and Ogura go away and stayed in the group near 10th position, hoping I could do something good in the final stages. It was tough, but with 15 laps to go I told myself that I had to be patient because I knew I had managed the rear tire well and hoped that at some point there would come a time when I would be strong and could take advantage of having the medium compound."
A reading of the race that turned out to be correct. "That moment came when there were 10 laps to go, I stayed focused and got closer to those ahead of me to try to pass them. The hardest one to pass was Jack Miller, because he was delaying the braking so much and even if he then slowed down in the corners, he was able to keep the lead. But by following good lines I was able to take seventh," Zarco continued, "Bezzecchi was quite far back, but I thought I had enough energy to keep pushing, with the hope that he might have a big drop in the final stages. I managed to catch him, but I was too far on the limit to be able to pass him. Also because he didn't make any mistakes and saved some energy for the last lap, where he pushed a little harder. Finding myself in seventh position anyway, I didn't want to risk ruining the moment by making a mistake. I am quite happy with this result, which gives us great hope for the upcoming races. In a long and difficult race like this one, we finished with a 15-second gap from the leaders, and I would say it went perhaps better than I expected."
It may not be the best result ever achieved by the French rider on the RC213V, but still a good base from which to start the season.
"It's not the race where I was closest to the leaders, but it's still positive. Also looking at yesterday's Sprint, I would say we still have problems with the new tires because we can't get more grip with the soft on the rear. We lose in the first third of the race compared to the others, precisely because we can't use the new tires properly," he commented, "It was like that last year as well, but I think it helped today that the pace was a little slower.
Among the problems faced by Honda is still the engine.
"I have no idea when we will be able to have an update to test. I think it was more difficult for us here in Thailand - our engine seems to run better in Malaysia. Maybe it was the heat that disadvantaged us more than the other brands," noted the LCR rider. "We will see if we can recover on tracks where there will be more normal temperatures."
Thailand's extreme heat certainly put a strain on bikes and riders. Mir, for example, complained at the end of the race of sunburn on his legs.
"I also got burned on my calf. But it didn't just happen to us Honda riders; Miller also burned his calf and Brad Binder got burns. All the bikes have struggled in the heat," said Johann, who does not think the situation is critical, however: "It is more difficult, but not to the point where it becomes dangerous. It's simply too hot for the bikes, but it could start to be dangerous if the engines start to break down, because the failure of the engine could lead to the rear wheel locking up. While it does have the problem of the burns, I don't think it is too dangerous. Even at the Suzuka 8 Hours, the CBR was hot because of the high temperatures, and the heat from the engine in sixth gear burned my right foot."
Chantra: "I was too aggressive at the start of the race and destroyed the tires."
In Buriram, fairly positive signs also came from the other LCR rider, Somkiat Chantra. Although he struggled in his home race, which ended with an 18th place, the Thai rookie can look at the glass half full. Aware that he learned a lot of useful information to further his apprenticeship on the RC213V.
"This was my home race, it was also very hot, and it was a good experience for me to complete 26 laps on a MotoGP bike. Both to understand how I was going to feel physically and to learn how to handle the tires from start to finish," said the 26-year-old. "In the last part of the race, I was also around Fabio Quartararo and Maverick Vinales and I could see the way they ride. I would say it wasn't bad at all. In fact, it was a good day for me."
Chantra went on to talk about what he noticed staying behind the Frenchman and the Spaniard: "It seemed to me that Fabio managed the tires very well at the beginning and so he had more at the end and also had more grip. It seemed to me that Maverick also had more tire, while I was too aggressive at the beginning of the race, destroyed the tires, and then it was difficult for me to recover in the final."
Somkiat also had some problems with the high temperatures, as did numerous other riders. But nothing too worrisome. "Around the last 10 laps, my bike was a little hot near my legs. But it wasn't too hot for me. It was fine as well," concluded the rookie.
