The 2020 MotoGP season was full of ‘what-ifs’, but perhaps the biggest concerned Johann Zarco. What if he had persevered with KTM into the second year of his contract? Could he have done what Brad Binder and Miguel Oliveira were able to do and win races?
But this was not the path destined for the Moto2 world champion of 2015 and 2016. Herve Poncharal’s decision to promote Zarco to MotoGP in 2017 with his Tech3 team raised some eyebrows, but three podiums on the satellite Yamaha in his debut season had done enough to make him a major player in the 2019 rider market.
Zarco was courted by Honda to join its works team alongside Marc Marquez, but it was ultimately the paycheque and reward for success on the RC16 which lured the Frenchman to KTM for 2019.
