Johann Zarco joined LCR Honda this year with a clear mission to help the Japanese manufacturer make progress, considering it has one of the least competitive bikes on the grid. Despite the changes already made, there is still a need for more and deeper work.
After the French GP, Zarco was asked about the new swingarm, and in his response, he explained that it wouldn’t make a significant difference: ‘That will not change a lot. At the moment, when everything is working you can play with this swingarm. At this moment it’s just to get more information, how we can handle the grip’.
According to Zarco, Honda needs to change the very foundation of the bike to make decisive progress: ‘But there is a bigger problem that we lack from the base of the bike, the heart of the bike. I mean, the heart is the engine, I don’t mean it’s the engine; I mean the pure «DNA» of the bike – this must change to give us a second breathe’.
After five Grand Prix races, Zarco is in 19th place with nine points, right behind the best Honda rider, Joan Mir (Repsol Honda). Honda is last in the Constructors’ Championship and also at the bottom of the Teams’ Championship.