| Johann Zarco | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Zarco at the2025 Malaysian Grand Prix | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | French | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1990-07-16)16 July 1990 (age 35) Cannes, France | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current team | Castrol Honda LCR | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bike number | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Johann Sylvain Pierre Zarco (born 16 July 1990)[1] is a FrenchGrand Prix motorcycle racer, best known for winning the2015 and2016Moto2 World Championships with his 2015 triumph being a record points total for the intermediate class.[2] He is a MotoGP race winner, and currently rides forCastrol Honda LCR inMotoGP.
Zarco is also a former runner-up and race winner in 125 cc class (now converted to Moto3) in2011, and won the rookie and top independent rider of the year in MotoGP in2017 withMonster Yamaha Tech3 finishing 6th with 3 podiums and 2 Pole Positions. With 18 Grand Prix victories across all classes and two Moto2 championships, Zarco is one of the most successful French riders in Grand Prix racing history.[3]
Born inCannes, Zarco progressed up the motorcycling ladder and moved into minimoto championships in 2004, mainly based in Italy. In 2005, Zarco finished as runner-up in the Senior Mini European Championship and in 2006, he was runner-up in the European Open Championship. He also competed in the Italian 125cc championship, where he finished in twelfth place. Zarco took part in theRed Bull Rookies Cup in 2007,[4] and won the championship atEstoril, after winning three races.[5] He added a fourth win at the final race inValencia. These performances enabled Zarco to become part of the Red Bull MotoGP Academy scheme along withCameron Beaubier,Jonas Folger andDanny Kent.[6] This reduced his racing in 2008, making a sporadic appearance in the Italian championship with Team Gabrielli.
Zarco made his Grand Prix début with the WTR San Marino Team, in the season-openingQatar Grand Prix. He finished the race in the points in 15th, although the rain-shortened race meant that Zarco gained just half a point.[7] He took seven further points-scoring finishes, as he finished 20th in the championship. Zarco's best result of the season was a sixth-place finish atMugello.
Zarco remained with WTR for the2010 season.[8] Zarco started the season with a consistent run of points-scoring finishes, finishing each of the first eight races in the points. At theCzech Grand Prix, Zarco recorded the first fastest lap of his career, having pitted for slick tyres as the track's conditions became better for them to be run. He ultimately finished eleventh in the championship, despite retiring from the final three races.
For2011 he signed withAjo Motorsport. At the second race, theSpanish Grand Prix, he gained his first podium finish by finishing third.
Zarco moved up to the Moto2 class with theJiR team, aboardMotobi bikes in2012. He finished the season 10th in the standings with 95 points and was easily the highest placed rookie that year.
In 2013, he moved to the Ioda Project Racing Team aboard a Suter, he improved on his rookie season by finishing on the podium twice and ended 9th on the standings with 141 points.
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For 2014, he joined the new Caterham Moto Racing team. He impressed on what many considered to be an inferior bike compared to the mainly dominant Kalex bikes. He managed to earn 4 podium finishes, as well as 1 pole position, earning him 6th in the standings with 146 points.
In2015, Zarco moved to the debuting Ajo Motorsport team, who he raced with in the 125cc class. Zarco dominated the field and won his first Moto2 title,[2] with 8 wins, 14 podiums, 7 poles and a record points haul of 352.
He remained with the team for2016 and successfully defended his Moto2 title, becoming the first rider in the Moto2 era to win 2 intermediate titles, with 7 wins, 10 podiums, 7 poles and 276 points. Zarco became a popular figure with the fans with his spectacular backflip celebrations when he won a race. During the 2016 season, Zarco got his first taste of MotoGP machinery, testing theSuzuki GSX-RR withSuzuki Ecstar in a private test at track in Ruyo, Japan.[9]
Zarco signed a pre-contract withTeam Suzuki Ecstar in 2016 before the recruitment for 2017 was carried out. Zarco tested with Suzuki in a private test at theSuzuka Circuit, Japan. Ultimately,Alex Rins was chosen to replace the departingAleix Espargaro, whileAndrea Iannone was chosen to replace theMovistar Yamaha MotoGP-boundMaverick Vinales.[10]
For2017, he moved up to the premier class with the Tech3 Yamaha team. On his MotoGP debut at Qatar, Zarco shocked the grid by taking the lead on the first lap and building a 2-second lead, until he crashed out at turn 2 on lap 6. He scored his first MotoGP podium, a 2nd place, at Le Mans. He got his first pole position at Assen. In the race he touched with Rossi and dropped to 4th, and eventually finished in 14th place. Zarco again started from pole at the Japanese Grand Prix, but ultimately finished the race in 8th place. He achieved podium finishes in Sepang (Malaysia) and Valencia (Spain) where he finished in 3rd and 2nd respectively. He received the Rookie of the Year Award for 2017 and finished the season in 6th, the highest placed independent rider.[11]
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In2018, he started the season with a pole position in Qatar, before dropping to finish 8th. He finished 2nd in the Argentinian and Spanish Grands Prix, and achieved another pole position at his home French Grand Prix before crashing out of the race. In Malaysia he repeated his 3rd place podium finish from the previous year, and again finished 6th in the rider's championship standings.
In early 2018 it was announced that Zarco would ride for thefactory KTM team on a two-year contract from2019.[12] Following a difficult start to2019 season where he struggled, managing barely to finish within the points-scoring positions, Zarco and KTM made the shock announcement at their home Austrian Grand Prix that they had reached a mutual agreement to end Zarco's contract prematurely at the end of the season.[13] Despite initial intentions to complete the season with Zarco, KTM elected to release him unconditionally two races later after the Misano Grand Prix and replace him with test riderMika Kallio for the remainder of the season, citing "lost hope" in the situation with Zarco's "negative attitude" before his impending departure.[14]
Zarco was offered a Honda for the last three races of the2019 season due to regular riderTakaaki Nakagami electing to have surgery with an expected long recuperation period.[15] He finished the first event in 13th place, and was knocked off byJoan Mir nearing the end of the second event when in 8th place.[16][17] Zarco fell during his third race on the Honda when in 10th position atValencia, Spain, being hit when walking away by a following machine, without serious injury.[18]
For the2020 season, the Frenchman signed a one-year deal throughDucati to ride forEsponsorama Racing.[19][20] During the Czech Grand Prix in Brno, Zarco took Esponsorama's first ever pole position, followed up with a podium finish in 3rd a day later. Consistently finishing within the points, Zarco ended the season in 13th position of the riders' standings.
Zarco signed a deal withPramac Racing in September 2020 for the2021 season.[21] Zarco had a strong season in2021 including career highs in podiums and the highest points total of any of his seasons in MotoGP. He ultimately finished fifth in the championship.
Zarco remained withPramac Racing for2022.[22] Zarco claimed four podiums, and ended eighth in the standings.
Pramac Racing retained Zarco for a third successive year in2023.[23] In Australia, after 120 races, Zarco won his first race in MotoGP, overtaking teammateJorge Martin on the final lap[24]
On 21 August 2023, Zarco announced that he would leavePramac Racing after spending three seasons with the team.[25] He moved toLCR Honda for the2024 season, replacingYamaha-boundÁlex Rins.[26] The likely reason for the move wasDucati only intending to give Zarco a one-year contract before moving him to theSuperbike World Championship in 2025, whereas LCR Honda were offering a two-year deal.[27] LCR Honda officially confirmed the next day that Zarco would be joining the team in 2024.[28] On the opening round of the season in the2024 Qatar motorcycle Grand Prix, he finished 12th in the main race.[29] He did the same result at his home race on the2024 French motorcycle Grand Prix on the layer of theBugatti Circuit.[30] With regular points finishes throughout the season, he finished the season in 17th position, ahead of teammateTakaaki Nakagami and both factory riders, as the top Honda rider of the season.
As Nakagami took on a test role at Honda, Zarco's teammate for 2025 was confirmed to beSomkiat Chantra.At the 2025 French GP, Zarco became the first French rider in 71 years to win on home soil, and the first non-Ducati rider to win a feature race for 22 races, sinceMaverick Viñales at the 2024 Americas Grand Prix and the first Honda rider to win sinceÁlex Rins at the 2023 Americas Grand Prix. In the following race at Silverstone, Zarco finished second, marking the first back-to-back podium for any Honda rider since Marc Márquez in 2021. His strong start also saw him as the leading Honda rider during the early parts of the 2025 season.
In September 2025, Zarco extended his contract with LCR Honda for the2026 and2027 seasons.[31]
In 2025, Honda's factory team line-up for the prestigiousSuzuka 8 Hours endurance race in August will consist of only two riders, local riderTakumi Takahashi and French LCR-Honda MotoGP rider Johann Zarco, the team announced on social media, citing "procedural reasons." This is becauseXavi Vierge, who was planned to replace the injuredIker Lecuona, was denied a visa.[32]
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position, races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Pos | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | SPA 3 | ITA 1 | GBR 2 | NED 13 | GER 2 | CZE 1 | POR 1 | VAL 1 | 1st | 159 |
| Season | Class | Motorcycle | Team | Race | Win | Podium | Pole | FLap | Pts | Plcd | WCh |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 125cc | Aprilia | WTR San Marino Team | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32.5 | 20th | – |
| 2010 | 125cc | Aprilia | WTR San Marino Team | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 77 | 11th | – |
| 2011 | 125cc | Derbi | Avant-AirAsia-Ajo | 17 | 1 | 11 | 4 | 4 | 262 | 2nd | – |
| 2012 | Moto2 | Motobi | JiR Moto2 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 95 | 10th | – |
| 2013 | Moto2 | Suter | Came IodaRacing Project | 17 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 141 | 9th | – |
| 2014 | Moto2 | CaterhamSuter | AirAsia Caterham | 18 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 146 | 6th | – |
| 2015 | Moto2 | Kalex | Ajo Motorsport | 18 | 8 | 14 | 7 | 1 | 352 | 1st | 1 |
| 2016 | Moto2 | Kalex | Ajo Motorsport | 18 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 276 | 1st | 1 |
| 2017 | MotoGP | Yamaha | Monster Yamaha Tech3 | 18 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 174 | 6th | – |
| 2018 | MotoGP | Yamaha | Monster Yamaha Tech3 | 18 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 158 | 6th | – |
| 2019 | MotoGP | KTM | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 18th | – |
| Honda | LCR Honda Idemitsu | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||||
| 2020 | MotoGP | Ducati | Avintia Esponsorama Racing | 14 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 77 | 13th | – |
| 2021 | MotoGP | Ducati | Pramac Racing | 18 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 173 | 5th | – |
| 2022 | MotoGP | Ducati | Pramac Racing | 20 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 166 | 8th | – |
| 2023 | MotoGP | Ducati | Prima Pramac Racing | 20 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 225 | 5th | – |
| 2024 | MotoGP | Honda | Castrol Honda LCR | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 55 | 17th | – |
| 2025 | MotoGP | Honda | Castrol Honda LCR | 22 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 148 | 12th | – |
| Total | 304 | 18 | 64 | 27 | 23 | 2587.5 | 2 | ||||
| Class | Seasons | 1st GP | 1st pod | 1st win | Race | Win | Podiums | Pole | FLap | Pts | WChmp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 125cc | 2009–2011 | 2009 Qatar | 2011 Spain | 2011 Japan | 50 | 1 | 11 | 4 | 5 | 371.5 | 0 |
| Moto2 | 2012–2016 | 2012 Qatar | 2013 Italy | 2015 Argentina | 88 | 15 | 30 | 15 | 7 | 1010 | 2 |
| MotoGP | 2017–present | 2017 Qatar | 2017 France | 2023 Australia | 166 | 2 | 23 | 8 | 11 | 1206 | 0 |
| Total | 2009–present | 304 | 18 | 64 | 27 | 23 | 2587.5 | 2 | |||
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position, races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Riders | Bike | Pos |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 |  Team HRC | Takumi TakahashiTeppei Nagoe | Honda CBR1000RR-R SP | 1st |
| 2025 | Team HRC | Takumi Takahashi | Honda CBR1000RR-R SP | 1st |
As of 9 April 2025, Johann Zarco holds the following records:
Moto2
A cette occasion, avec huit succès dans toute sa carrière, il efface des tablettes de la vitesse française ses glorieux aînés, Christian Sarron, Olivier Jacque et Arnaud Vincent, tous trois champions du monde également dans les années 80 et 2000. [On this occasion, with eight wins in his career, he moves ahead of the previous tallies of the French former riders, Christian Sarron, Olivier Jacque and Arnaud Vincent, all three world champions between 1980 and 2000.]
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Inaugural champion | Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup champion 2007 | Succeeded by |
| MotoGP | |
|---|---|
| MotoE |
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| Grand Prix motorcycle |
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