Qatar GP spotlight: Honda ace Johann Zarco didn’t mince his words

Grand Prix veteran Johann Zarco – the Frenchman made his debut at Sepang in 2009 – spoke in an upbeat manner, starting with a look back at his career. Just under a week ago at Phillip Island, Zarco had secured third on the grid in a wet Q2, but was then forced to retire his Honda during the sprint race due to technical problems. Despite the GP race being cancelled due to unacceptable weather conditions, Zarco showed no signs of frustration.

“To be honest, our calendar is far too packed for me to worry about it. I always try to take the positives from things, and in the case of Australia, it’s the fact that I was able to save a lot of energy and have arrived in Malaysia feeling very fresh as a result.”

However, rain is also expected in South-East Asia. For Johann Zarco, this is not a nightmare scenario: “I certainly hope it doesn’t rain at Sepang, but it’s also true that I have a better chance of a top result on wet tyres – and to secure another very good result towards the end of the season would do the team a world of good.”

The 36-year-old continued: “On the other hand, I’m also looking forward to every lap in dry conditions, as it will help improve our overall understanding, particularly with a view to the coming season. As a reminder: Zarco is among the clear minority who won’t be switching teams at the end of 2026. His new 850cc bike – and his pit neighbour David Alonso – will be new additions, however.

Qatar: Officially, everything is normal

Whilst several MotoGP riders in Sepang preferred not to comment on the controversial Qatar GP (taking place immediately after the event in Malaysia), the oldest rider on the GP circuit put his views on record: “We have confirmation from the Qatari government that conditions are normal enough for the Grand Prix to go ahead. It’s up to us to trust these assurances. There is no reason not to do so, because the government has no interest in taking any risks – if there is a risk, they will cancel the GP. What we can do is prepare as best we can for the eventuality that it might still be cancelled.”

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The Honda rider summarised once again: “There are contracts in place; we cannot cancel the Grand Prix. And whilst it is understandable that there are many concerns about travelling to a place so close to a war zone, officially everything is normal and there is no reason to oppose it.”

Despite the gloomy global political climate and the current heavy rain and thunderstorms over Sepang, there is positive news from the Honda camp. For the first time since the Misano GP, the world’s largest manufacturer is back on the grid with all its regular riders following the recovery of Joan Mir – and Luca Marini. What’s more, Mir finished third in 2025, whilst Zarco, in eighth place, only scored points in the Sprint World Championship.