Johann Zarco is one of the riders who has most experimented with new manufacturers in MotoGP in recent years and in 2024 he has a new chapter ahead of him, now with LCR Honda, in a team with which he has already been to three rounds. It remains to be seen what the Frenchman can bring to the structure, which races one of the most outstanding bikes in the category, but not necessarily for the best reasons.
After four years at the helm of the Desmosedici, and having been one of the riders who experienced one of the biggest leaps in terms of the Italian bike’s competitiveness, Zarco could therefore be an important element in the evolution of the RC213V, a bike he has already had the chance to try on three occasions in 2019.
The #5 brings with him a lot of experience in the category, as well as from other manufacturers: this will be the eighth year for the rider, who has already ridden in 2017 and 2018 with Yamaha, then in the colours of Monster Yamaha Tech3. He ended up moving to the KTM factory team in 2019, but things didn’t go well there, with Zarco never being able to justify the performances he’d had with the Yamaha M1, and he even ended his contract with the Austrian team early, after which he had his first experience with Honda.
Ducati followed, with Avintia taking the rider on, before he headed to Pramac. Now comes a new moment in his career, as he becomes an LCR Honda rider, which asks for the question to be made: what can Zarco bring to the Japanese manufacturer?
As well as experience in the category, Zarco also has know-how from other manufacturers, particularly and in recent years from the most competitive bike on the grid, and he is going to a structure that is more than ever in need of fresh ideas, both in terms of riders and his own perspective and ideas on the evolution of the bike, and that is precisely where the Frenchman can be decisive.
After taking his first MotoGP victory, Zarco can be considered a versatile rider and fundamental to Honda’s growth. He has shown on several occasions that he knows how to be thoughtful on the track, but also aggressive, with this perhaps to be the most striking trait of his on-track personality, something that in 2023 was rarely seen at Honda, with the exception of the usual «suspect», Marc Márquez, who in 2024 is taking the exact opposite route by joining Gresini Racing.
Takaaki Nakagami will be the rider’s partner at LCR, and he has the most experience, but a different philosophy, combined with experience, could make Zarco a key player in Honda’s future, along with the contribution of a younger rider with fresh ideas, also coming from Ducati, Luca Marini, in the factory team.
And it seems that for the moment the rider’s first impressions have been positive, since at the Valencia test he felt an evolution compared to the 2023 and 2024 models, so it’s to be confirmed whether this happens during the year, with the rider’s feedback, combined with experience and within the philosophy that Honda will have to adapt.