P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Johann Zarco praises Joan Mir’s Honda podium at Motegi – Frenchman regains confidence with the latest RCV updates.
Johann Zarco congratulated Joan Mir for achieving a podium finish at Motegi on Sunday, joining Zarco as a Honda rider with that accomplishment. Zarco holds the leading Honda rider position in the world championship, highlighted by a victory at Le Mans and a podium at Silverstone. Momentum has shifted towards the factory HRC team of Luca Marini and Mir since round seven, with the arrival of RCV upgrades playing a role.
In Japan, Zarco returned to the top ten, while Mir secured the factory team’s first Grand Prix podium since Marc Marquez in 2023, earning praise from Zarco for his fantastic performance. Despite qualifying eleventh, Zarco chased Fabio Quartararo during the race and finished ninth, content with scoring points after recent challenges. Zarco noted that although he lacked speed to battle for higher positions, he aimed to finish, regain confidence, and set the foundation for better results in upcoming races.
