Having got his first taste of the Honda RC213V in Valencia last year, Zarco got another opportunity to test the bike during last week's official shakedown test in Malaysia, as he took full advantage of MotoGP’s new concessions system to complete two days of running.
To his own surprise, the Frenchman ended the test with the third-fastest time, lapping just 0.2s off the pace set by Tech3 KTM newcomer Pedro Acosta.
Speaking to selected media afterwards, Zarco said his performance in Sepang has strengthened his belief that Honda has turned a corner with its 2024 prototype.
Asked to sum up the shakedown, he said: “Quite good. Always you get happy when some lap times are coming.
“I didn't expect it, that's why it's even giving a better feeling than what I could expect.
“But clearly already the changes Honda did, what they brought in Valencia was quite interesting and this gave me very good hopes during the winter. And I got this confirmation during the two days I did of the shakedown.
“I believe and I feel that we will also work with the performance. I'm happy because it seems like a good time now to do this job with Honda and the way Honda are also adding or bringing new things is helping a lot.”
Source: Autosport