Thursday at the British MotoGP saw Johann Zarco back in the paddock for the first time since the shock news tꦦhat🍷 he will split from the factory KTM team at the end of this season.

The Frenchman called an early end to h🉐is two-year agreement after being left with sleepless nights as he struggled on the RC16.

Zarco, who took si🌳x podiums and four pole positions with Tech3 Yamaha, has a best finish of tenth for KTM this season.

The 29-year-old admitted walking out of a well-paid factory contract might not be logical, but it feels like a handbrake has been released and pledged to give his best until the end of the seas🧸on.

"It was♍ Saturday in Austria when I spoke with the KTM bosses. I said we have🍰 to meet and then I announced it [to them]," Zarco confirmed.

"I said to KTM, being honest, if I accept to finish 15th just to do the job, it mean൲s I will ride only for your money and I don’t want to do that."

Zarco conceded there is a sense of 🦋failure in quitting KTM, but felt his career was at greater risk if he stayed on for a second year.

"The feeling was if I continue for next year and I cannot h🌳ave better r🐻esults, I will not only fail with this project but fail with my career," he said. "So that was biggest scare. That's why I prefer to have the opportunity to do something else next year, rather than wait one more year."

"I w🔯as sp꧙eaking with the people around me, but as everyone said 'we cannot choose for you'," he added.

"If you have a choice between having nothing [in place for next year] or to continue in MཧotoGP with a good salary, which would you choose? Logically, you would choose to continue in MotoGP.

"But I was feeling bad and I said 'no, I canno𒊎t. It’s not the way I want to race'."

Zarco sai🌄d his lack of understand🎀ing with the RC16 even created an element of danger.

"When I say even dangerous it's because I was coming with the best motivation every weekend and after a few runs on the bike I was not feeling good because I was trying to solve my problems and no✨t finding any solution. So then I didn't know what to do," he said.

"What could become dangerous was that I even wondered how to ride theﷺ bike and at this speed you normally just have to take a decision and take the right deciꦯsion. If you start to think too much which decision you have to take, you cannot be fast."

But Zarco inౠsisted he ♌is fully committed to seeing out the remaining eight races of this season for KTM.

"On a MotoGP bike you cannot go halfway, you have to give everything or if not you don’t go on the bike," he said. "That's my way and I was giving everything a♚l🍃so from the beginning of the year until now.

"But the last races I was giving everything, but with like a handbrake inside me. So let's see wha𝓰t happens now I have released this handbra🔯ke. As a professional I'm still ready to go on track and give the best."

Finally, when asked i▨f there were there any positives to come out of the last ten months, Zarco paused before replying:

"Yes. The positive is that I'm stilꦉl crazy enough to take a decision that no-one would take! That may be a something that is necessary if you really trust in what you want."

KTM is yet 🥃to announce Zarco's replacement, with most riders alr💜eady signed until the end of next season.

Meanwhile, Zarco is now starting ta🌼lks about a possible return to Moto2 and/or a Mot♑oGP testing role.