MotoGP, Cecchinello: “Zarco noticed Honda’s strengths compared to Ducati”

Coming from four seasons spent with a fast-growing Ducati, which gradually became unbeatable for anyone, Johann Zarco decided to take a leap into the void by signing on for the second consecutive year with Honda, the worst bike of the group in 2023.

So, if his could be seen as a risky move, Lucio Cecchinello’s is no less. The manager from Venice took back a rider he had let go at the end of 2019, and undersigned a two-year contract, knowing that he couldn’t provide him with a high-profile bike in terms of competitiveness, at least in the short term.

“We knew there was a risk he’d be disappointed. Instead, after rejecting last year’s version, as soon as he climbed onto the 2024, he revealedboth  the negative and positive points of the Desmosedici,” Checchinello stated on Crashnet website.  

The team owner then spoke of the nature of the relationship with the transalpine rider, which could go well beyond the existing two-year period. “We’re open to an extension because we need an experienced rider of his caliber to develop the bike. We know we have a long road ahead to recuperate. We know we’re still several tenths behind, and we’re only at the beginning of our journey.”

The 54-year-old manager was optimistic about their ambitious commitment starting in March, thanks to a closer collaboration with the parent company, facilitated by the technical concessions. “Unlike in the past, they’re also taking advantage of our feedback. During the Sepang test, they sent eighty engineers,” he concluded.