Johann Zarco bullish after Argentina MotoGP front row: ‘If podium is there, we must take it’
LCR rider Zarco has big ambitions after first Honda front row
Johann Zarco says LCR Honda “must catch” the opportunity of a podium in the MotoGP Argentina Grand Prix after qualifying on the front row.
Honda came into the 2025 season having shown promising form in testing with its RC213V, though its surge up the field has been quicker than anticipated.
From the off in Argentina, Zarco has been in the mix high up inside the top 10 and was a front row challenger out of the gates in Saturday morning’s Q2 session.
Shadowing eventual poleman Marc Marquez on his first run, Zarco put in a 1m37.205s to get onto the provisional front row.
This lap proved good enough to keep him third at the chequered flag despite being unable to improve on it, with Zarco claiming Honda’s first front row start since the 2023 Italian GP.
Having felt on Friday that there was a possibility of the podium, Zarco reiterated this after qualifying.
“It’s nice, much better than what I could expect,” the Frenchman said in parc ferme.
“But from the speed of Friday, it’s just so good to confirm it today.
“Yesterday for the time attack I said we were missing something.
“At least in this qualifying, the first lap was almost perfect, I was saying to my team ‘how can I get better, it’s going to be tough?’
“But it was not necessary to do better, it was enough.
“To see P3 at the end, first row, it’s so nice because we are coming from far back and it’s nice to be back here, at least in Argentina.
“So, we will take it and if we have a chance at the podium we must catch it.”
Honda hasn’t been on the podium since Marc Marquez was third at the red-flagged 2023 Japanese GP, with its best grand prix result last year an eighth-place.
Having already beaten this in the opening round of the season in Thailand two weeks ago when Zarco was seventh, LCR team boss Lucio Cecchinello says HRC “deserves some light out of the tunnel” in response to his rider’s front row qualifying result in Argentina.
“Honestly, he did an amazing job,” he told the MotoGP world feed.
“All the team did an amazing job.
“Honda HRC deserve some light out of the tunnel and we are very pleased to be able to make it happen. Hopefully this is a very good sign and let’s see tomorrow.”
