Honda faces Argentina MotoGP with "big hope" after “not ridiculous” start to 2025
Johann Zarco was comfortable with Honda’s deficit in Thai GP
LCR Honda rider Johann Zarco says his deficit to the win in the MotoGP Thai Grand Prix was “not ridiculous” which “gives big hope” to the team.
Honda’s promising winter testing form led to a strong start to the 2025 season last week in Thailand, with Zarco besting the marque’s 2024 best with a seventh-place finish.
More encouragingly, Zarco was only 15.2s from race winner Marc Marquez - which was over two seconds closer than he managed in the 2024 Thai GP, when he took a best for Honda of eighth in the wet.
Looking ahead to this weekend’s Argentina GP, Zarco says his Thai GP result should provide “big hope” for Honda.
“Pretty happy with this result,” he said.
“It gives big hope for the next races to bring this to the team. Also looking at the gap to the top riders, 15 seconds is not ridiculous for a long race like this and a tough race.
“It’s maybe better than what I could expect and I take it.
“I don’t know if it’s the closest one, but it’s a good one, compared to the sprint.
“So, I guess we still have a problem when the tyre is fresh or we can use more grip from a soft rear tyre we lose out in the first third of a race in the way we are not using well the new tyres, because when we compare our performance last year on the bike we were losing the most time in the first seven or nine laps.
“Maybe the pace looks a bit slower and this helped me to handle it. I saw [Franco] Morbidelli and [Ai] Ogura leaving, but I was with this group in the top 10 and said ‘stay there, there are four guys in front of you, keep your focus, maybe you will get something good at the end’.”
The main complaint from Honda riders remains the lack of power from its engine currently, though Zarco feels this could improve somewhat in Argentina as conditions won’t be as extreme.
“No idea,” he replied when asked when he expects an updated engine from Honda.
“I guess here was more difficult than us, because it seems in Malaysia our engine was better than here in Thailand.
“So, maybe the heat was giving more disadvantage for us than the other brands.
“So, let’s see in a place where it will be a normal temperature if we get back this advantage.”
Quotes provided by Crash MotoGP Editor Peter McLaren
