As expected, upon arriving at LCR Honda, Johann Zarco is far from being able to fight for top positions as he did last year at Pramac Ducati. So far, he finished 12th in Qatar and 15th in Portugal – well below the podiums he has shown he is capable of achieving.
After years of competitiveness decline, Honda is working diligently on the development of the RC213V, aiming to make it a top-fighting bike once again. However, even with development concessions, this is a lengthy process that requires time.
Quoted by the site motorsport-total.com, Zarco pointed out that there are positive aspects and the situation is not disastrous, considering the distance to the front positions:
– I think it also depends on attitude, because we can’t say that everything is negative. There are areas that are going well. If you follow someone, you waste time, but you can also learn. So, there are good things. If everything were a disaster, then we would be more than a second behind.
Despite fighting for secondary positions, the Frenchman highlighted that there is some level of competitiveness: ‘Very well, now I am fighting for 13th and 14th places. The level is so high. Even a fight for a 12th place means something. It doesn’t mean we are completely out of the game’.
