Johann Zarco converted a ninth-place start on his MotoGP comeback into his first Sprint point since Catalunya. The LCR Honda rider impressed in the Sprint, finishing ninth and scoring a valuable point.
This is a significant moment for Zarco, who previously suffered knee ligament injuries in a nasty Turn 1 accident at Catalunya and was sidelined for more than 100 days. Returning to the track and immediately scoring points is a positive sign for the French rider.
“I'm feeling happy with this ninth position in qualifying and the sprint. Getting a point means the weekend already feels beneficial, even if coming back on the bike was the main thing. But once you start to feel good, and you have the performance, as a competitor, you try to do as well as possible. So, that was a great sprint,” said Zarco.
Saturday also marked Zarco's first race start since the front ride-height device ban and introduction of the new, wider grid spacing. “Very surprised with the start because it was pretty good, but I was very careful in the first braking. Just because of the track, not too much because of the accident in Catalunya,” he explained.
Zarco even overtook factory Ducati star Pecco Bagnaia to hold eighth during the early stages. However, he later lost a place to Fermin Aldeguer and finished in the wheeltracks of Raul Fernandez. Despite that, his injured left knee stood up well to the intensity of a MotoGP Sprint.
“The Sprint is always difficult physically, because it's very intense. But the body was answering pretty well. No pain on the knee, just a little cramping in the legs. So just need to keep training to feel very strong during all the weekend,” added Zarco.
On Sunday, Zarco will need to serve a double long lap penalty for causing the Catalunya accident, but he is not ruling out scoring more points. “I think tomorrow, with the two long laps, I still have the possibility to do points, because there are still many guys behind. My feeling and my pace looks quite good, so I have the possibility to make points. And because I have these two long laps, maybe it's an opportunity to keep my front tyre cooler!” he said.
Meanwhile, rookie team-mate Diogo Moreira finished as the top Honda rider in seventh.
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