MotoGP veteran reveals ‘pact with the devil’ that meant never falling in love
Zarco has detailed the extraodinary sacrifices to make it in MotoGP (Credit: Red Bull Content Pool)
08:30, 30 Sep
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Connor Andrews is Formula 1 and MotoGP writer for GPblog and various outlets. Having worked in motorsport for 15 years for leading companies, he has interviewed the sports biggest names and attended multiple Grands Prix.
MotoGP veteran Johann Zarco has detailed the incredible lengths he went through to reach the pinnacle of two-wheeled racing.
The French rider has become one of the paddock’s most-loved figures during his nine years in the premier class, currently with LCR Honda.
Zarco had to win back-to-back Moto2 titles to convince MotoGP teams to take a look at him, signing for satellite team Tech3 in 2017.
Since then he’s more than proved his worth, notching three podiums in each of his first two seasons, and he now has two wins to his name.
Aged 36 and potentially coming to the end of his career, Zarco has released a biography in which he discusses what it took to make it in MotoGP.
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Zarco reveals extraordinary ‘pact with the devil’
He recalled: "I was shaped by things that consumed me from within… I was 17, hanging on Laurent Fellon's [his manager’s] every word, wanting to live and breathe motorcycles…
“So, I made a pact with the devil and accepted everything: distancing myself from my family and friends, never falling in love, distrusting some and trusting others.
“I had to become a warrior. I obeyed until victory, always loyal, ignoring the paranoia of the man who made me the rider I am today.”
Fellon had been alongside Zarco since childhood, but the pair separated before his death in 2022.
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Reflecting on that split, he wrote: “I understood that I had to break that cycle and reclaim the freedom I had been deprived of.
“The break with Laurent was as violent as our relationship had been stormy. Rebuilding myself wasn't easy.
“However, as the end of my career approaches, I hold no grudge. I don't know if Laurent needed the forgiveness I granted him a few weeks before his death, but I believe I have earned the peace I aspire to as a free man.”
“So, I made a pact with the devil and accepted everything: distancing myself from my family and friends, never falling in love, distrusting some and trusting others."- Johann Zarco
Horror Catalunya injury gave Zarco time to reflect
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Zarco also detailed his injury at the Catalunya Grand Prix which kept him out of six races this season.
The race was restarted after a scary crash involving Alex Marquez, but on the restart, Zarco became trapped under Francesco Bagnaia’s Ducati and was dragged along the tarmac and gravel, leaving a deep scar on his knee.
He recalled: "Even today, the same determination drives me, despite a serious knee injury that kept me off the track for weeks.
“I started the year with the firm intention of not repeating the mistakes I made in the second half of the 2025 championship. My fault was getting too frustrated after winning at Le Mans.
“I hadn't done very well at the beginning of the season, but since the United States Grand Prix, I had regained my form. Getting back on the bike after a crash in a race, something clicked.
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Zarco has had some huge career challenges, even this season (Credit: Red Bull Content Pool)
“This was confirmed in Jerez with a solid start from the front row, and then on Friday of the French Grand Prix with good qualifying performances.
“In Barcelona, I was still in the top five when everything changed. The setback is tough, but as always, I'm trying to find the positives.
“This enforced break is giving me something I've never had before: time to reflect and prepare myself better. Even during the winter break, my brain never completely switched off. As soon as the season ended, I always went back to diving into a new project."
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Zarco rethinks plans to retire from MotoGP
Finally, Zarco revealed that he may well continue in MotoGP beyond his 2027 contract.
“Until now, in my mind, 2027 was going to be my last season in MotoGP,” he wrote.
“Now I realise that things can change, so I'm not ruling anything out. With new bikes, new regulations, and new tyres, the next championship could turn things upside down.
“I'm also really looking forward to seeing what Honda has in store for us. We'll see. But I love motorcycling too much to imagine my life without it.”
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