Still in the Top 12 during these three days of MotoGP testing in Sepang, Johann zarco came out in seventh position and the fastest Honda rider.
Regardless of the times, it is already the satisfaction of having worked well, because surpassing the two official drivers of the brand with the golden wing is the sign of a job well done, especially with regard to Joan mir with a smile found. This can only give a clear conscience and above all confidence, and we know the importance of this word for the Frenchman's performance...
Despite a RC213V 2025 defined without the slightest contribution of Roman Albesian, it is precisely with confidence in the test program established by Honda that John Zarco approached this three-day test without having been able to benefit from the shakedown beforehand, and with only the feedback from the new test driver as a preconceived idea Alex Espargaro.
“His first impression was about the engine performance. Maybe I got so used to it that I forgot that we can still gain something in this area. Our first goal will be to choose the chassis and work on the engine. It may not be immediate here in Malaysia, but we will also address the aerodynamics. I don’t expect something that will give us wings and allow us to fight for the podium straight away. It is difficult to put all the elements together. The changes made by the Japanese can sometimes result in similar sensations.”
At the end of the first day, Johann zarco was in 9th position, 0.777s behind the leader Fabio Quartararo and 0,217s behind Joan Mir.
“We are working very hard; it was a solid first day. I am confident in the way HRC wants to prepare things. Overall, we managed to control the situation and do a good job, even with different tyres, which is important. I am happy to see that I can control the bike better, because I can feel my riding experience, and this will help me to continue improving.”
The next day, the LCR driver, who not only has to find his settings but also, and probably above all, evaluate different elements of this new model, was 12th, 0,928s behind Franco Morbidelli, at 0,347s from Joan mir.
“Today we tested some new things on the aerodynamics, and it was good to do it because we have clear feedback. During the day we made many changes, which allowed us to have some references. I was able to improve as the laps went by, and they were good laps. I noticed a better behavior of the rear of the bike, which is positive.”
Finally, after testing several configurations and various new components of the HRC, Johann zarco admitted to still finding some positive points and feeling better than expected on the third and final day of testing in Malaysia. He finished in 7th position in 1'57.204, 0,711s behindAlex Marquez, but first Honda rider by 75 thousandths with a time well below his qualification at the same place in 2024 (1'57.635 in Q1 then 1'57.971 in Q2).
Johann zarco : “We can consider this test as a positive result, better than I expected. Today’s performance was really strong, and it’s good for my confidence to close the gap with the top riders. The gap today wasn’t as big as the previous ones. In the last few days we tried a lot of things, and today we put them all together, which worked well. I’m very happy about it. There are no huge things that make a big difference on the bike, but overall I noticed that I have better control over the bike. Now we need the test in Thailand to continue trying all these things. Then we will decide which package is the best to start the season. We have to decide which parts we are going to use to homologate the bike. As for the engine, I don’t know how it could be improved. Honda is doing its best to extract as much usable power as possible. I hope we will get something better during this season.” But I'm sure we can fight for the top 10 from the first race, and that's one of my main goals at the moment."
After three days of intensive work with his team, Johann zarco believes that the small collective improvements have helped him take a step forward and reduce the gap to the fastest riders on the timesheets. The next test in Buriram will be crucial for him and his team, as it will definitively determine which components will be homologated.
Combined classification of the 2025 MotoGP test at Sepang:
Classification credit: MotoGP.com
Johann Zarco Sepang Test
