But with the same measured approach that saw him become the only rider to win back-to-back Moto2™ titles, he adapted quickly and celebrated no less than three podium finishes in his debut season.

The winner of the inaugural 2007 Red Bull Rookies Cup, Zarco made his 125cc World Championship debut in 2009 on Aprilia machinery, with relatively lacklustre results. A switch to the successful Ajo Motorsport squad saw his talent reflected in results and, after four pole positions and 11 podiums, he finished runner up in the title.

Opting to make the step to the Moto2™ category with the JiR squad for the 2012 season, a string of consistent results saw him finish his rookie season in the top 10. After two more years of improvement, Zarco returned to the Ajo Motorsport fold for his fourth Moto2™ campaign.

The move was a good one; he never crossed the line lower than eighth, scored 14 podiums, including eight wins, and claimed the world title. He successfully defended his crown in 2016 before being nabbed by the Tech3 Yamaha squad for 2017.

With confidence soaring, Zarco burst into the premier class as a race-winning contender and had two strong years with Yamaha before switching to the factory Red Bull KTM effort for 2019, where he had short stint before riding a Honda for the last three races of the year due to regular rider Takaaki Nakagami opting to having season-ending surgery.

Zarco is contracted to ride in MotoGP™ with Avintia Ducati in 2020.