Marco Bezzecchi
Johann Zarco returned to the points in the 2025 Dutch Grand Prix with 12th place at the TT Circuit Assen, as the LCR pilot was once again the highest-placed Honda rider.
The 34-year-old had endured a disappointing run of results before visiting Assen last week after Zarco retired from the Aragon Grand Prix and the Italian Grand Prix. Yet the Frenchman got back in the points-paying positions in the Dutch GP, and was comfortably the top Honda.
Factory ace Joan Mir crashed out of the Dutch GP, while LCR rookie Somkiat Chantra held off Aleix Espargaro to avoid finishing last on the road at Assen. But Chantra and Espargaro, who deputised for the injured Luca Marini, took the finish line 24.344 seconds behind Zarco.
Johann Zarco found it ‘impossible’ to stay with Fabio Di Giannantonio at Assen
Zarco was not satisfied with scoring four points for 12th place in the Dutch GP, though, as he improved to 101 for the 2025 MotoGP season so far. The Cannes native was 24.875s off the lead, as Marc Marquez won the Dutch GP for the Assen double after also winning the Sprint.
What frustrated Zarco the most was that he was also unable to stay with VR46 star Fabio Di Giannantonio during the Dutch GP. The pair were together in the top 10 after Alex Marquez crashed at Assen, but Zarco could not go with Di Giannantonio as he went on to finish in P6.
Di Giannantonio ultimately finished 12.712s clear of Zarco, who also gained with Mir retiring from the Dutch GP when the Honda rider was unable to avoid the stricken Gresini of Fermin Aldeguer after the rookie’s highside which forced Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo into the gravel.
Zarco said, via quotes by Paddock GP: “When several riders crashed, I was behind Diggia in eighth position. I should have followed him, but it was impossible.”
Johann Zarco’s regression at Assen highlights Honda’s challenge to fight Ducati
Zarco quickly fell down the order while Di Giannantonio kept making progress in the wake of Aldeguer’s highside ruining not only the Spaniard’s race but also that of Mir and Quartararo during the Dutch GP. But Zarco was able to hold off Alex Rins and Jack Miller in P13 and P14.
His deficit to Di Giannantonio also highlights the scale of the challenge still facing Honda to make a bike that can compete with the latest Ducati machinery. The VR46 rider was the last pilot on the GP25 at Assen, with which Marquez also won 24.875s up the road from Zarco.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Fabio Di Giannantonio from net worth to AS Roma
Even Aprilia were more competitive than Honda around the high-speed TT Circuit Assen, as Marco Bezzecchi finished the Dutch GP in second place by 0.635s after battling Marquez for the win. KTM also came fourth and fifth with Pedro Acosta and Tech3’s Maverick Vinales.
Di Giannantonio also now has 136 points so far this year to Zarco’s 101 as the worst rider on the Ducati GP25 and the top rider on the Honda RC213V. His P6 at Assen on the VR46 star’s 67th MotoGP start is also the Italian’s ninth top-10 result this season, while Zarco has five.
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