Johann Zarco endured a frustrating race at the Circuit of the Americas after an early incident denied him a potential points finish.
Riding for LCR Honda Castrol, Zarco started from 15th on the grid but made an excellent launch and quickly settled into a competitive rhythm.
However, his progress was cut short on lap two following a chain reaction between riders at Turns 8 and 9.
“Another rider went to the inside of a rival in Turn 8, and this one had to go wide,” Zarco explained. “I was feeling well and doing a good job, but in that situation I had to change direction.”
As the riders came back onto the racing line, contact became unavoidable.
“He tried to come back, and at the moment of contact my bike fell in Turn 9,” he added.
Zarco was able to remount and continue, using the remainder of the race to gather data while maintaining a solid pace. Despite this, he eventually retired with little to gain in terms of position.
The Frenchman accepted the incident as part of racing and chose not to assign blame.
“It was a racing incident. I don’t complain, these things happen,” he said.
Although the result was disappointing, Zarco remained encouraged by his performance and the insights gained during the race.
“In any case, I was feeling good and we could have taken a solid result. I decided to continue to gather information, and I was able to be fast even though we were far behind, so it was useful to understand many things.”
While the final outcome did not reflect his potential, Zarco’s pace offers a positive sign heading into the next round.
