Johann Zarco names the surprising MotoGP ‘natural talent’ he’s trying to learn from KTM rival Pedro Acosta

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Johann Zarco is enjoying a brilliant start to the 2025 MotoGP season with LCR Honda. The Frenchman has established himself as a frontrunner, having spent most of last season struggling to score points.

The 34-year-old has finished in the top two in the last two Grand Prix, including a memorable victory at Le Mans in front of his home crowd. It marked only Zarco’s second win in MotoGP since joining the premier class in 2017.

It was also Honda’s first victory since Alex Rins won the 2023 Americas Grand Prix. Zarco’s performances in 2025 show how significantly the manufacturer have improved, as they sit second behind Ducati in the standings heading into the next round at Aragon.

Zarco is the highest-ranked non-Ducati rider after seven Grand Prix in 2025, sitting fifth with 97 points. This time last season, he had grabbed just three points finishes, with a best result of 12th in Qatar and Le Mans.

Zarco is receiving ‘first-rider treatment’ at Honda, with factory riders Joan Mir and Luca Marini and LCR teammate Somkiat Chantra struggling to match his results. As he looks to challenge the Ducatis at the front, the Frenchman is trying to learn from Pedro Acosta in 2025.

Johann Zarco is trying to learn from Pedro Acosta’s ‘natural talent’ on a MotoGP bike

Since his debut in 2024, the Spaniard has caught everyone’s attention in the MotoGP paddock. The 20-year-old grabbed five podiums in his rookie season with Tech3 and finished fifth in the standings.

He has not had the same success with the factory KTM team in 2025, with Acosta pleading to the factory to help the ‘struggling’ riders improve on the RC16. But despite his difficulties on the bike, the Spaniard has continued to display his ‘natural talent’.

Speaking with journalist Manuel Pecino on his YouTube channel, Zarco explained how he analyses Acosta’s riding style and how quickly he has adapted to MotoGP. The LCR rider is looking to learn from his KTM rival.

“You try to change your riding style when you miss performance or you repeat the same mistake or you meet the same wall,” he said.

“And then you try to change the things to find different limits. Yes, the changing of the bikes push you to understand what is happening, what you need to change, to understand how to ride the bike.

“For me, it’s looking at the best riders, looking at the newcomers. For me, Pedro Acosta is a big example, because you see that he adapts so quick, but with natural talent.

“So why he has this natural new style, from where did he learn it? And I try to analyse these things because I’ve seen him from a child and I know all the categories that he did.

“So I try to understand how he got this natural feeling that I didn’t get because I’m coming from ‘another school.”

READ MORE: Everything to know about Pedro Acosta from net worth to girlfriend

Could Pedro Acosta line up with Johann Zarco at Honda in 2026?

Acosta’s frustrations with KTM have led to speculation that he could be on the move come 2026. The MotoGP rider market is set to see huge movement this year, as Jorge Martin looks for a way out of Aprilia after triggering an exit clause.

KTM have ‘restricted’ Acosta’s contract from having the same clause; Martin left the Austrian outfit in similar circumstances during his Moto2 days. But that has not stopped rumours from swirling about the 20-year-old’s future.

Acosta has been linked with Honda for 2026, with Luca Marini out of contract this season. With Martin set to join the factory team and Zarco set to stay at LCR, there is an opening for the KTM rider, as Joan Mir has been offered to LCR for next year.

However, it is believed that Ducati are Acosta’s preferred destination. VR46 have been heavily linked with the Spaniard. with Valentino Rossi having a great relationship with the KTM rider.