Johann Zarco admits he spoke to Repsol Honda - but “I wasn’t 100% convinced”
The winner of Saturday’s Australian MotoGP - his first premier class victory at the 120th attempt - has already penned a deal to swap Pramac Ducati for LCR Honda next season.
Since then, Marc Marquez’s exit has left a vacancy at Repsol Honda which Zarco was approached about inheriting.
"I couldn't dismiss the opportunity of the factory team,” Zarco told Sky.
“I needed to think about it and [LCR owner Lucio] Cecchinello respected this.
“My manager, both in Indonesia and here in Australia, spoke with the factory team.
“We saw them hesitant and I didn't like that.
“So I preferred to respect the commitment with Lucio, rather than ride a factory bike in a team with a project that I'm not 100% convinced of."
Zarco said about Cecchinello, who made it clear that he didn’t want to lose the rider: "Lucio is a nice person, he works with great seriousness and is correct.
“He has been managing a satellite team for years, working together will be a great opportunity.
“For him too, given that I'm a very competitive rider, I'm fighting for fifth place in the championship and I can be important for Honda's development."
Repsol Honda’s search for a Marquez replacement has also seen them consider Maverick Vinales and Miguel Oliveira.
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
