ZARCO RETURNS WITH NINTH PLACE IN ARAGON, FINISHING AHEAD OF BAGNAIA

Johann Zarco’s return to MotoGP action at Aragón drew applause even before the race fully settled. The LCR Honda rider, back after a heavy crash in Catalunya roughly three and a half months earlier, looked competitive from the first session through qualifying. Speedweek reported that he went 11th in FP1, 10th in time practice, and then 9th in Q2—an encouraging progression that suggested he had not lost his feel for the bike.

Zarco’s comeback also stood out because he was riding without the front start device for the first time. He said his main concern at the start was avoiding trouble rather than chasing an early advantage. “I wanted on no account to get into difficulties in the start phase,” he explained, adding that it wasn’t driven by bad thoughts about the Barcelona start crash, but by a practical issue: “Corner 1 in Aragon is super tight when you come from the left.” He had hoped to qualify further to the right in Q2, “but that didn’t happen.”

Once the race got going, Zarco quickly found confidence. “Luckily, after a few corners I had a very good feeling,” he said. He then closed in on Pecco Bagnaia, caught him, and made the pass. Zarco also reached Fernandez, but admitted that the moment slipped away after a longer hesitation. “Here I hesitated for longer and then the chance was already gone, because the tyre temperature had already risen clearly.”

Over the full distance, Zarco finished ninth, though he had to hold off Aldeguer from Gresini, with the Frenchman crossing the line about 11 seconds behind race winner Marc Marquez. Speedweek noted that his comeback did not come with a dramatic physical setback. His physiotherapy update was brief and positive: “So far I have no pain in my knee. Only in my legs I feel the load, but overall I’m very satisfied.”

Looking ahead, Zarco acknowledged a penalty that could shape his Sunday race strategy. Because of the Barcelona incident that also took out Bagnaia, he will have to serve a double Long Lap during the 23-lap GP. Despite that handicap, he insisted he expects to fight for points. “On Sunday, riding back into the points is realistic,” he said, pointing out that many riders behind him appear to have bigger problems. “Even with the double penalty I’ll go into the race relaxed,” he added, emphasizing that his Sprint form has been a key advantage: “I already feel very good after points in the Sprint—so I think that’s a big benefit for what’s coming.”

Speedweek also highlighted the broader race context: while LCR’s Lucio Cecchinello saw both riders score points, factory rider Marini crashed in the first round, and Joan Mir finished 16th.