Strong comeback from Johann Zarco (10th): Best Honda rider in Austria

The Austrian Grand Prix marked Johann Zarco’s third race weekend following a three-month injury lay-off – the 36-year-old had sustained a serious injury to his left knee in mid-May in Barcelona following a collision at the start with Pecco Bagnaia (Ducati). The Frenchman seems to be finding his form: at the Red Bull Ring, Zarco was the fastest Honda rider in each session, finishing tenth in qualifying, seventh in the sprint and tenth in the main race.

The first lap proved tricky

Johann Zarco

However, the seasoned rider fell short of his target for Sunday’s race. He had been confident of securing another seventh place. But after a poor first lap, the LCR rider had to write that off.

“Overall, it was a strong weekend and 10th place was the best result I could achieve,” Zarco acknowledged. “Because I lost a lot of positions on the first lap – that wasn’t down to a bad start, but rather the chicane and turns 3 and 8 were tricky afterwards. I didn’t have a chance to put pressure on the others or even overtake them because it didn’t feel safe. The others were making contact and battling it out, but I dropped back to 17th. My race really began on the second lap, and from that point on, it felt good and safe. The tyre pressure was right and I got into a better and better rhythm and started to overtake. Step by step, I worked my way up the field.”

Willkommen zum Rennen am Red Bull Ring

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Marco Bezzecchi

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Pedro Acosta

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Fans

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Pecco Bagnaia und Marc Márquez

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Jorge Martin

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Brad Binder

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Marc Márquez

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Marco Bezzecchi

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Ai Ogura

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Fermin Aldeguer

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Marco Bezzecchi und Marc Márquez

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Pedro Acosta

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Johann Zarco

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Jorge Martin

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Enea Bastianini

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Pedro Acosta gewinnt das Rennen

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Pedro Acosta und Team

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Martin, Acosta, Bezzecchi

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Sieger Pedro Acosta

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Sieger Pedro Acosta

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Willkommen zum Rennen am Red Bull Ring

© Gold & Goose

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Zarco’s charge saw him pass, amongst others, his Honda team-mates Diego Moreira and Luca Marini, as well as Álex Márquez (Ducati), Enea Bastianini (KTM) and his compatriot Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha). After 28 laps, the experienced Zarco was 16.266 seconds behind winner Pedro Acosta (KTM). Zarco is satisfied with his performance.

“I was still trying to get past Diggia, but our pace was too similar,” said the Honda rider. “In the final laps, Bastianini got stronger again and it was a challenge to maintain my speed by adjusting my riding style and keep him behind me, as my rear tyre was on its last legs. A great weekend where I felt competitive and had fun.”