LONDON — Johann Zarco will continue rehabilitation rather than undergo surgery on his injured left knee after doctors reported encouraging progress in his recovery, with the LCR Honda rider now targeting a return to MotoGP competition in September.
LCR confirmed Wednesday that Zarco recently underwent a medical evaluation with knee specialist Dr. Bertrand Sonnery-Cottet in Lyon, France, where further examinations revealed that the injuries were less severe than initially feared after swelling from his Barcelona crash subsided.
The team said early MRI scans had been conducted while the knee remained heavily swollen, making it difficult to accurately determine the extent of the damage. Follow-up assessments showed that the medial collateral ligament is healing well, while the posterior cruciate ligament, initially believed to be completely torn, has also demonstrated encouraging recovery. The anterior cruciate ligament remains torn.
Doctors concluded that Zarco’s rehabilitation had progressed sufficiently to make conservative treatment a viable alternative to surgery.
Following the recommendations of his medical team, the French rider will continue a rehabilitation program focused on strengthening and recovery, with the objective of returning to racing after the summer break. Further medical evaluations will determine his readiness to resume competition.
Zarco sustained the injuries during the Catalan Grand Prix on May 17, a chaotic race that featured two red flags and three standing starts. During the second restart, he became involved in a first-corner collision with Francesco Bagnaia and Luca Marini, with his left leg trapped beneath the rear wheel of Bagnaia’s Ducati.
Initial medical assessments indicated damage to both the anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments, the medial meniscus and a small fracture near the fibula in the ankle, the latter of which has since healed.
Two days after the accident, Zarco consulted Sonnery-Cottet, who initially recommended delaying surgery for several weeks to allow the knee to recover from the initial trauma before any operation.
When the scheduled procedure approached, however, Zarco developed a wound around the knee that increased the risk of infection if surgery were performed, forcing another postponement. During that period, he continued rehabilitation and physical training, eventually making sufficient progress for doctors to reconsider the need for surgery altogether.
While no exact return date has been confirmed, LCR announced that British test rider Cal Crutchlow will continue replacing Zarco at next week’s German Grand Prix at Sachsenring, the final race before MotoGP’s summer break.
Crutchlow has already stood in for Zarco at the Italian, Hungarian, Czech and Dutch Grands Prix and is expected to remain aboard the Honda until the Frenchman is medically cleared to return later this season.
