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He had got us and himself used to being one of the best Honda riders but, instead, at Jerez de la Frontera, the first European round of the calendar, Johann Zarco missed getting into the Top 10 because, after the Sprint Race, he ended the GP in 11th place.
"It was a complicated weekend, but I knew I could've encountered several issues these days," he admitted. "I love this kind of challenge, also because I expected to win it, but I wasn't able to. Between Friday and Saturday, we struggled a lot. So, for this Sunday, my goal was simply to bring home some points, since I didn't find here the confidence I had gained. In particular, I wasn't able to play with the lean angles or feel comfortable with the front, unlike I have since the beginning of the championship."
Johann encountered several critical issues. "On this track, everything turned out to be much more complex. It was good to see others struggling and making mistakes because it was the only way to recover positions. At the end, Marini was very incisive and closed every opening well. In any case, the five points of an eleventh place are better than nothing," he continued, acknowledging that even difficulties are a lesson.
"There are certainly things to learn from Jerez. It's probably a track that doesn't suit my style. In light of the work I'm doing in this regard, I was sure I'd come out on top, but I wasn't able to make the progress I expected. What matters, anyway, is having points in my pocket," he admitted.
Going into detail, from a technical point of view, he explained: "I wasn't able to fight with the others here, due to the a corner entry that wasn't optimal and the fact that the bike was sliding a lot. Maybe I should've complained more about the rear grip. I always focused on entry while neglecting the rear grip. I tried to approach things logically, but that didn't work this weekend. It's hard to accept, but we'll analyze the situation, and I'll keep working on it. I've always suffered on this circuit, but also on others. However, if elsewhere this year I found a turning point, it wasn't possible here, and I fell a step back."
The test could help. "That's what I hope for. Honda is going to bring some things to test. Also, I'll focus on the set-up to come back stronger. It's good to be able to test here. Now it's essential we do a reset and still look at the positive because, even in difficult times, I know I can be consistent and bring something to the team. In the end, the race had started well because, in the first two corners, from tenth, I ended up sixth. I thought I did the hard part and, instead, I had no speed," he stated.
The new engine brought into the race by Espargaro could help. "I'll try it tomorrow, even though this isn't the best track to test the behavior of an engine, since we barely reach 300 km/h. But, certainly, today compared to 2024, we control spinning more and are consistent, from lap to lap. This is allowing us to battle with others. Even if there's not much of an improvement in performance, you can see it in the overall behavior of the bike. The new units could bring us a bit more power, but Aleix's greater competitiveness in the straights needs to be confirmed on other tracks, since we also experience wheelspin here, which is another problem in acceleration," he concluded.
