Zarco recalls Qatar red flag after Barcelona crash

Johann Zarco suffered a serious knee injury in a double accident at the Catalan Grand Prix last May, and his recovery, both physical and psychological, has been long. Doctors initially held off on surgery because of swelling and, later, the risk of infection from a deep burn, so he recovered without an operation and returned at the Aragon Grand Prix in August after missing six rounds.

Since his return, his best result has come in Qatar, where he scored 12 points, his biggest haul of the season. During the Qatar race he qualified seventh and made a strong start before Francesco Bagnaia crashed heavily, prompting a red flag and a restart. The situation brought memories of Barcelona flooding back to him.