Johann Zarco “nailed it”, puts Honda into Q2 after “thrilling” last lap

Johann Zarco produced a thrilling late lap under the Friday floodlights in Qatar to snatch Honda's only guaranteed spot in Saturday's Qualifying 2 pole position shootout.

The Frenchman looked set to join HRC riders Luca Marini and Joan Mir in the uncertainty of Q1 until he edged out Yamaha's Alex Rins by just 0.030s in a dramatic last-minute charge.

"I'm really happy. That last lap was amazing and thrilling," Zarco said.

After an earlier technical issue limited his FP1 running, Zarco bounced back impressively in the cooler evening conditions at Lusail, maximising grip from the softer tyre.

“I could feel that the soft rear tyre had something extra to give over one lap," he explained. "I made a mistake on my first attempt but nailed it on the second."

"We've improved the bike's control, and this track gives us a lot of grip," he added. 

"It feels like we have more potential than we did last year. We've made a big step forward today."

Meanwhile, fellow Honda riders Marini (12th) and Mir (13th) now face the challenge of fighting for the final pair of Q2 places in Qualifying 1.

Zarco's late burst also left Aprilia as the only manufacturer without at least one rider in the top ten, with Trackhouse rookie Ai Ogura the leading RS-GP in 15th.