MotoGP™ burst back into life at the British GP and the action came thick and fast, both on and off the track. While Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) claimed a brilliant last lap Sunday Silverstone win, we saw some big moves in the rider market which may have major implications for some established names in the coming weeks, chiefly Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing).
Having seemed destined to continue his time with the Ducati based outfit, the Frenchman’s future is now up in the air, with Alex Rins’ (LCR Honda) move to Yamaha and Franco Morbidelli’s exit kickstarting a rider merry-go-round. LCR now have a vacant seat to fill for 2024, and Zarco has been touted as a potential option.
"I would be proud to be this guy," the #5 said as he responded to speculation linking him to a lead role with Honda. Assessing the current state of the RC213V, he regarded it is an intriguing proposition but acknowledged that his current home would be hard to top.
"It won’t be a bad challenge. If you think about victory, to be in the top position and to fight, as I’m doing now for a few years, clearly the place to be is at Ducati because it’s the best bike. We can see it on the track.
"It’s good to have the interest of Honda. Clearly it’s nice to have this kind of brand interested, even if they’re struggling. We have to think about this. But my target is Ducati with this winning bike and winning team, too. We’re leading the Championship with Pramac. Jorge [Martin] and I are good together so why not continue?
Indeed, Zarco remains defiant that he deserves to continue with Ducati and ride the Desmosedici beyond the current campaign, but he believes that Prima Pramac Racing is the only option for him to do so: "At the moment results are good enough to think about Ducati and Pramac on a factory bike."
There were also links to the World Superbike series, but Zarco was quick to pour cold water over them.
"I’m 4th (at time of speaking after Saturday’s British GP Tissot Sprint) in the Championship so why should I think about the Superbike now? We’re used to saying that if you make good results you can have your seat in MotoGP for the following year. I’m doing it and I still don’t have the seat for next year. So that makes the feeling a bit strange. But for sure, what I’m doing now, I won’t go to Superbike. Not because I don’t like Superbike, but I’m still performing in MotoGP, even if people say I’m not winning."
As Zarco failed to quell the fire, LCR boss Lucio Cecchinello fanned the flames by claiming the Frenchman’s camp first made contact with them.
"I'm going to tell you the truth, we have nothing to hide. We were approached by various agents, including the one of Zarco. We were a little bit surprised, because Zarco has a very competitive bike currently. He will also offer us the possibility of working together with a project of several years and it’s an option on the table," LCR’s Team Principal told French broadcaster C+.
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Repsol Honda Team Manager Alberto Puig was slightly more coy on the rumours, but did express his admiration for the two-time Moto2™ World Champion.
"I don’t know, right now I can’t answer you. But I can give you my personal opinion, Johann is a fast rider with a lot of experience. He rode with many teams. He is always a welcome rider. But I can’t give you a real statement at this moment because we don’t even talk."
In what could prove one of the most surprising switches from the 2023 Silly Season, should Zarco leap across to Honda, it paves the way for Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) to move to a Pramac factory machine, and then for Franco Morbidelli to slot into Bez’ seat and once again ride under the VR46 banner.