Zarco would be “proud” to help Honda transform MotoGP fortunes

The Frenchman has been linked to replace Yamaha-bound Alex Rins at LCR Honda for the 2024 season, as VR46’s Marco Bezzecchi looks set to take his place at Pramac Ducati.

Zarco rode three races for Honda at the end of 2019 replacing the injured Takaaki Nakagami at LCR, and was heavily linked to a factory HRC ride for 2019 before inking a KTM deal instead – something he told Motosprint several years ago was “not entirely my choice”.

He struggled massively at KTM, scoring just one top 10 finish and electing to end his two-year deal early before the Austrian brand ousted him with immediate effect following the San Marino GP.

Honda’s 2023 campaign has been miserable, with Rins’ Americas GP win the only highlight as injury and crashes have dogged the Japanese brand.

Zarco says going to Honda “would not be a bad challenge” and would be honoured to lead it to better results.

“I would be proud to be this guy because I could not make this work well in KTM,” he said.

“Maybe my feedback was good for KTM, but the results I was having I was not ready to be in this position.

Johann Zarco, Pramac Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

“So, I made the decision to come back to Ducati.

“But in the case of having this choice, sure the maturity is not the same [as it was in 2019]. So, we must keep the options open.”

Zarco scored a best of 13th on the Honda at the 2019 Australian GP before signing with Ducati to ride for Avintia in 2020 and says remaining with the Italian marque is his preference for 2024.

The Frenchman has also ruled out a World Superbike switch for next year, stating that his results are consistently good enough to merit a MotoGP stay.

He questioned: “I’m fourth in the championship, so why should I think about Superbikes now?

“Also, we are used to saying that if you make results you can have your seat in MotoGP. I am doing the results and I still don’t have the seat for next year. So, that feels a bit strange.

“But with what I’m doing now, I won’t go to Superbikes – not because I don’t like Superbikes, but because I am performing in MotoGP even if people say I am not winning.

“How many guys are every year in the top five in the championship during the season? I’m a strong soldier and I will remain it.”