Zarco may replace Pedrosa at Honda

Johann Zarco, who broke the lap record en route to clinching the pole position in the FIM MotoGP World Championship season opener in Qatar last week is destined for bigger things, if one goes by the paddock rumours.

MotoGP | Johann Zarco con Honda Repsol nel 2019? - https://t.co/tI7w1tlyf7 pic.twitter.com/JPkxHJwvqF
— MotoGrandPrix (@motograndprixit) March 21, 2018

The Frenchman, who is just into his second season in the premier class of Grand Prix racing, broke former champion Jorge Lorenzo's decade-long lap record at the 5.3km floodlit circuit and set a new mark of 1:53.680 to grab the surprise pole.

The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider led the race till the 18th lap before losing two positions in the opening corner and could finally cross the chequered flag only eighth after struggling more in the latter stages.

But the MotoGP rookies' impressive performance in the 22-lap thriller in which Ducati's Andrea Dovizioso edged Repsol Honda's Marc Marquez in the last lap, with Movistar Yamaha's Valentino Rossi finishing third, have caught the eye of all and the grapevine is that he will join Honda next season as a potential replacement for Dani Pedrosa.

Pedrosa, who has been with Honda since 2006, just completed his 200th Grand Prix for the manufacturer and his current contract ends at the end of the 2018-19 season.

Though Zarco has always remained coy about his future plans, the 27-year-old sounded positive when asked about a possible switch to Honda.

"I've to wait and approach this calmly. I think I'll wait for the first three races, then I'll know more. The performance of the bike will be an important factor in making a decision, but I've to wait and see what other possibilities there are. The tests have gone great but the races will be the decisive factor," Zarco was quoted as saying in Speedweek.

At Honda, he will have the biggest challenge of sharing the paddock with four-time world champion Marquez. Asked whether he would be overawed by his team-mate's impeccable credentials, pat came the reply.

"Why would I be scared? It would be nice to be Marc's teammate," Zarco said.

"Repsol Honda is a kind of dream team. Since I watched MotoGP as a kid on TV, even though I didn't watch a lot, I remember Mick Doohan, then Valentino (Rossi)...now Marc (Marquez). It was always good to watch this team."