French rider Johann Zarco salvaged an 11th-place finish at the French Grand Prix in Le Mans after a difficult weekend that tested both his confidence and consistency.
The Castrol Honda LCR rider entered Sunday determined to fight for a stronger result but admitted his performance was affected by a minor crash during Saturday morning’s session.
“It was a tough weekend. It wasn’t the performance we wanted,” said Zarco. “The little crash on Saturday morning affected my confidence, and once you lose a bit, you lose it everywhere.”
Zarco also lost ground early in the race after running wide to avoid a crash following contact with another rider. The incident forced the Frenchman into recovery mode once again as he tried to regain positions.
Despite the setbacks, Zarco focused on staying mistake-free and bringing the bike home safely. While he lacked the pace to challenge further up the order, he still collected valuable championship points and useful data ahead of the next round in Barcelona.
“During today’s race, I tried to stay on the bike, but I wasn’t competitive and I struggled,” he admitted.
Even so, Zarco remained optimistic about the potential of the Honda package when conditions and confidence align.
“The positive is that when I have a good feeling, we can see that something great is possible with this bike,” he said. “The target is to repeat the strong performances we can achieve when we feel good. We’ll try again in Barcelona.”
