Johann Zarco had a positive experience fighting with Francesco Bagnaia at the Argentina Grand Prix, but he also felt that he couldn’t fully use the extra speed he had.

Zarco, who is racing for LCR Honda, delivered one of the best performances for the team. He started the race on the front row after qualifying third and finished in fourth place during the sprint. He was confident he had the pace for a podium finish in the main race, but Zarco crossed the line in sixth place after a tough battle with Bagnaia.

Although Zarco was happy to be able to fight with a factory Ducati, he admitted that Bagnaia’s strong defense was the reason he couldn’t use the speed advantage he had at the start of the race. This led to his tires wearing out too quickly toward the end, leaving him unable to defend his position.

Zarco reflected on the weekend: "It was a very nice weekend, almost like a dream. From Friday's first lap to Sunday's race, having the chance to fight with the top guys was amazing and really positive for us. I did everything I could to get on the podium."

He also shared that his race strategy on Sunday was better than Saturday’s: "I had a better start in the long race on Sunday, putting me in a good position to aim for third place and try to stay with Alex [Marquez] and Marc [Marquez]."

However, fighting with Bagnaia meant he couldn’t fully use the extra speed: "Pecco defended well, and because of that, I couldn’t make full use of my speed advantage. The race got tougher, and not being able to pass him made the bike harder to ride."

In the end, Zarco couldn't hold off Di Giannantonio, but he was still satisfied with his performance: "I finished sixth, but looking at the weekend as a whole, I’m happy with how it went."