#5 Johann Zarco – 14th (1’30.230) – Practice
“The second crash happened very fast, but I’m fine, I just slid out. Today I’ve been struggling a bit with the front end of the bike, and we’re working hard to fix that. I wanted to stay competitive and push hard, but sometimes crashes happen. It’s a pity to miss out on Q2, but we’ll give everything tomorrow to get through Q1. We’re trying different setups to regain that good feeling. The new bike’s grip is better, and the engine performance has improved too; we just need to find the right balance.”
#35 Somkiat Chantra – 20th (1’31.434) – Practice
“It’s been a tough day for me. I struggled to find the right feeling with different tyres, and in the afternoon, while trying to push for a fast lap time, I crashed after losing the front. Luckily, I’m fine. We will try different things tomorrow to take a step forward and improve, as I really like this circuit and I believe we can do a good job.”
#5 Johann Zarco – DNF – Sprint
“The start was pretty good, I was recovering positions lap by lap and noticed many riders were struggling due to the demanding conditions, so I focused on staying calm and doing my job. After that, I wasn’t able to ride the way I wanted, and I crashed in the last corner a few laps from the end while trying to push. I’m still missing confidence, but I’m working closely with the team to find the right solution. I’m happy with Honda’s improvements, and having the official riders up front is a positive sign. We just need to keep working to find the right feeling.”
#35 Somkiat Chantra – DNF – Sprint
“Today, I crashed on the first lap. I felt something wasn’t right with the rear side of the bike, and I immediately lost the front. The team will analyze the data to understand what happened. Looking ahead to tomorrow, we’ll push to recover positions and see what the outcome will be. The weather conditions are easier for me to manage, as they’re similar to what I’m used to in Thailand, so we’re ready for the main race.”
#5 Johann Zarco – 12th – Race
“I had a good start and was trying to set my rhythm, but then I started to feel something different, we had a small technical issue. I tried to stay focused, avoid mistakes, and finish the race in the best way possible. We did it, and we scored points, which is good for my confidence. Even with the difficulties, we made progress today, and that’s important as we look ahead to the next race in Australia.”
#35 Somkiat Chantra – 13th – Race
“I’m happy because we secured points, and that’s always good. The race was hard for me because I didn’t have a good feeling on the bike. I wanted to stay with the group, but it was very difficult, so I focused on avoiding mistakes, scoring points, and finishing the race to gather important data ahead of Australia.”
