Johann Zarco fastest on Friday at Le Mans
Le MansAhead of his home race, Johann Zarco set the pace in Friday's track action at Le Mans
The day's action got underway this morning in dry conditions, where Castrol Honda LCR's Johann Zarco immediately looked comfortable around his home circuit of Le Mans. The Frenchman took this confidence into the afternoon's Practice session, where he secured a direct to Q2 spot by setting the fastest lap time of the day.
Ending the day fifth fastest overall and just 0.185s shy of Zarco, Joan Mir was able to hit the ground running in France and immediately showcase his speed. Improving his morning time by 1.3 seconds, the 2020 World Champion was able to keep pace with those around him and show the benefits and learnings brought from the Jerez Test. A strong feeling with the front end of his Honda has been key to this consistent speed.
Luca Marini started Friday in the best possible way, leading morning Practice and heading into the crucial afternoon session with ever-growing confidence. A small mistake on his first qualifying stint and traffic on his second severely limited his potential and Marini was only able to improve his best time by 0.4s, ending Friday down in 16th and heading for an interesting Q1 session. The speed shown by his fellow Honda riders has Marini remaining confident for whatever comes on Saturday.
Pro Honda LCR's Diogo Moreira completed a strong Friday at Le Mans, ending the day just 0.8 seconds behind team-mate Zarco. Unfortunately the field was separated by the smallest of margins and the Brazilian's time saw him place 19th. He will have to go through Q1 tomorrow.
We had a decent level today, and I’m really happy. We understand the bike much better now, and by adjusting small things, we’re improving the feeling on the bike. The crowd here in France gives me energy, and I’m allowing myself to enjoy the moment. Being competitive today in the dry is super important because the pace on the bike has been interesting since the beginning of the year, we just weren’t able to unlock its full potential. Today, we managed to do that. Achieving it here, on home soil, is amazing.
We had a decent level today, and I’m really happy. We understand the bike much better now, and by adjusting small things, we’re improving the feeling on the bike. The crowd here in France gives me energy, and I’m allowing myself to enjoy the moment. Being competitive today in the dry is super important because the pace on the bike has been interesting since the beginning of the year, we just weren’t able to unlock its full potential. Today, we managed to do that. Achieving it here, on home soil, is amazing.
We’ve been strong today and I feel that I am making a lot of the difference. The line we found in the test is working well here and I am riding well. Feeling on the front is crucial here in Le Mans, it’s hard to achieve but we have managed to find it. Making it directly into Q2 makes our lives much easier, not having to come from the back allows us to ride in a calmer way in the races so I want to maximise this opportunity. Looking forward to tomorrow and Sunday, I want to give the fans something to cheer about.
We’ve been strong today and I feel that I am making a lot of the difference. The line we found in the test is working well here and I am riding well. Feeling on the front is crucial here in Le Mans, it’s hard to achieve but we have managed to find it. Making it directly into Q2 makes our lives much easier, not having to come from the back allows us to ride in a calmer way in the races so I want to maximise this opportunity. Looking forward to tomorrow and Sunday, I want to give the fans something to cheer about.
A big pity today, I made a mistake on our first tyre and then on the second tyre a yellow flag, traffic, the same things that can always happen. Overall, our Friday has been good, in the morning we were really strong and I was confident of having this pace also in the afternoon so it’s a shame. Still, we need to improve our feeling when we push for that one qualifying lap on a new tyre. Zarco did a great job, so we will check his data and see what can be improved upon. Compared to last year, Honda as a whole has made a step and you can see this today. Always in Le Mans the weather is a wildcard, so let’s see.
A big pity today, I made a mistake on our first tyre and then on the second tyre a yellow flag, traffic, the same things that can always happen. Overall, our Friday has been good, in the morning we were really strong and I was confident of having this pace also in the afternoon so it’s a shame. Still, we need to improve our feeling when we push for that one qualifying lap on a new tyre. Zarco did a great job, so we will check his data and see what can be improved upon. Compared to last year, Honda as a whole has made a step and you can see this today. Always in Le Mans the weather is a wildcard, so let’s see.
We’ve done a good job today despite the final position. We are getting there; it’s just a matter of putting everything together. I like this track and we pushed hard to secure a Q2 spot. We’ll try again tomorrow. Overall, I felt good on the bike, so let’s keep working and pushing.
We’ve done a good job today despite the final position. We are getting there; it’s just a matter of putting everything together. I like this track and we pushed hard to secure a Q2 spot. We’ll try again tomorrow. Overall, I felt good on the bike, so let’s keep working and pushing.
