2023 Australian Grand Prix winner Johann Zarco has admitted that he tried to take the vacant seat at Repsol Honda, despite only having secured a seat at satellite team LCR Honda.
Marc Marquez' sudden departure from Repsol Honda has caught the racing team by surprise, for it does not seem to have a suitable replacement to the eight-time world champion until now.
Zarco, who is set to ride for LCR in 2024, has revealed that he was enticed by the chance to ride for the factory Honda racing team. "I couldn't dismiss the opportunity of the factory team," Zarco told a leading media house.
"I needed to think about it and [LCR owner Lucio] Cecchinello respected this. My manager, both in Indonesia and here in Australia, spoke with the factory team," he revealed.
"We saw them hesitant and I didn't like that. So, I preferred to respect the commitment with Lucio, rather than ride a factory bike in a team with a project that I'm not 100 per cent convinced of," Zarco explained.
About Cecchinello, the Frenchman said, "Lucio is a nice person, he works with great seriousness and is correct. He has been managing a satellite team for years, working together will be a great opportunity."
Having won his first premier class race at his 120th attempt, Zarco is currently fighting for fifth place in the rider's championship, while Jorge Martin and Francesco Bagnaia are in the dogfight for the title.