After four years on Ducati machinery across the Avintia and Pramac teams, Zarco joined LCR for 2024 in a two-year deal signed directly with Honda Racing Corporation (HRC).
It’s arguably the Frenchman’s biggest career move since he left Tech 3 Yamaha at the end of 2018 to join KTM, a switch that failed spectacularly and led to the pair parting ways even before they had completed their first season together.
But even though the philosophy of the Honda RC213V is vastly different to the Desmosedici he is accustomed to riding, as six-time champion Marc Marquez has found by switching in the opposite direction this year, Zarco is not worried about a repeat of the struggles he faced on the RC16 in 2019.
“I was scared when I moved from the Yamaha to the KTM,” he said. “That's why I quit KTM, [I was] really worried about losing my skill.
“I don't have this scare anymore because of what I learned in Ducati. I have so many references for myself that I can see the situation much better.
“Thanks to this I can really split my mind between, 'where can be the material [bike], where I am and where I can be'.
Source: Autosport