Far from the somewhat formatted communication of traditional press releases, the exchanges between the French pilot and the journalists in the Tech3 hospitality are of a richness and simplicity that true enthusiasts will appreciate (you can find all his past debriefs in our section ( "Interviews").
There is always the little detail that immerses us more every day in the world of MotoGP…
As usual, we report here the entirety of the comments of Johann zarco, in a raw way, therefore without any journalistic formatting or distortion.
Did the race go the way you wanted it to or are you expecting a little more?
“I expected to have an advantage with the heat and the hard tire compared to the start (of the race). But in the end, they were also very competitive. I enjoyed the race, everyone was going very fast. I missed the start a bit by taking time to overtake Espargaro. Then, I was rather fast but not fast enough. When I was fighting with Lorenzo I thought I could beat him but I think he conserved some energy and was able to attack for the last seven laps. I stayed with him but in the last two laps I had to slow down because I was too close to the limit because I was sliding too much with the rear. It was difficult but sixth position is a good place, with good points. I think I was competitive all weekend, I was able to use the hard tire. I was surprised. Vinales took the soft and I didn't expect him to be as fast as that throughout the race, but he finished his race with good times. I think if I had taken this tire, I would not have been able to have the same pace as him. I would have had some problems. So the choice was the right one to be consistent throughout the race. I just need to have more experience to do a better job throughout the weekend and make things easier. »
During qualifying?
" Also. You can see that Valentino didn't look the strongest throughout the weekend, but in the end he was the favorite for the race. As for me, I went straight to Q2 and that's an important thing. When you start the weekend. You always have to remember that everyone is attacking and can be fast, so first of all you have to go straight into Q2. Then, this qualification, I think I did well because the time was very, very fast. For the first year, what we did was enough. It's like in Moto2: if you want to be good during the race, you have to start from the first row and a good part of your race is not already done, because you still have to attack, but already gain two seconds from departure. »
Jonas had two brake problems in two weeks. Nothing on your side?
" No no no. I'm happy that everything is working well on the bike and I was worried when it crashed. I didn't see him fall but after seeing the yellow flag on the exit lap of the Warm up, I saw Jonas in the gravel with his bike very far away. I was worried as I braked hard for the next three or four laps of the Warm up at this point. It's strange, they are very fast bikes and we always have to be careful. »
Once again behind Lorenzo?
“I really thought I could take it. I attacked him once but he immediately attacked me again. I think he had a little leeway. When I overtook him, I think it woke him up and he told himself not to rest too much, because afterwards I saw how he was driving and he had a little extra step on me. »
And Pedrosa?
“Pedrosa, I saw him less consistent during the weekend, and that was quickly seen because he had more difficulty with the worn tires. And I was able to turn that to my advantage. Already, in qualifying, we weren't far from each other, and there, I'm happy to have been able to make the difference and to still have been competitive throughout the weekend. It doesn't assure you, because you always have to fight, but it allows you to reach this level of the first five, six or seven, so as to be less than 10 seconds behind the first. »
Can you draw a general assessment of the three races contested in August?
“In the Czech Republic there was this change of bike and it was another race to experience. There was also a bit of excitement in wanting to be in front, and euphoria instead of analysis. But the goal of a season is still to work on consistency, understanding the tires, style, managing from the first lap with new tires until the last lap with worn tires, the bike full of gasoline, etc. And I see that I'm starting to manage it better, because we've had two good results in the last two races. And when I finish my race, I don't have a better result than at the start of the year, but I'm still a little fresher. So this is a sign that there is progress. »
Even on this route which is trying, you feel really good at the end…
“At the end, I was tired because it was even more slippery. Afterwards, you get a little stressed out for fear of not going fast enough and you always have a little fear of being caught up. But there, it was good. Yes, it's sixth place, but when you see the gap of just 7 seconds, at the start of the year I sometimes finished 5th but 15 seconds behind. There were a lot of people there going fast this weekend. »
All the factory teams have tested at Misano, so you will start with a small handicap. How do you see this?
“We will perhaps follow the roadmap of the official team a little. It's a circuit that I might like, different from here. With the heat and the tight turns, you can tend to get tired too. But I want to attack and go and replay the outposts, as we were close here except that I would like to join in the fight with them. »
| Pos | number | Pilotes | Motorcycles | Deviations |
| 1 | 4 | Andrea Dovizioso | Ducati | 40'45.496 |
| 2 | 25 | Maverick VIÑALES | Yamaha | +0.114 |
| 3 | 46 | Valentino ROSSI | Yamaha | +0.749 |
| 4 | 35 | Cal Crutchlow | Honda | +1.679 |
| 5 | 99 | Jorge Lorenzo | Ducati | +3.508 |
| 6 | 5 | johann zarco | Yamaha | +7.001 |
| 7 | 26 | Dani PEDROSA | Honda | +10.944 |
| 8 | 45 | Scott REDDING | Ducati | +13.627 |
| 9 | 42 | Alex Rins | Suzuki | +15.661 |
| 10 | 19 | Alvaro BAUTISTA | Ducati | +25.279 |
| 11 | 44 | Pol Espargaró | KTM | +30.336 |
| 12 | 53 | Tito RABAT | Honda | +31.609 |
| 13 | 17 | Karel ABRAHAM | Ducati | +31.945 |
| 14 | 8 | Hector BARBERA | Ducati | +33.567 |
| 15 | 76 | Loris BAZ | Ducati | +33.901 |
| 16 | 43 | Jack Miller | Honda | +43.012 |
| 17 | 38 | Bradley SMITH | KTM | +48.683 |
| Unclassified | ||||
| 41 | Aleix Espargaro | Aprilia | 2 towers | |
| 9 | Danilo PETRUCCI | Ducati | 3 towers | |
| 29 | Andrea Iannone | Suzuki | 3 towers | |
| 93 | Marc Márquez | Honda | 7 towers | |
| 22 | Sam LOWES | Aprilia | 15 towers |
