The daily meetings between Johann Zarco and the international press are becoming more and more interesting.
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.
Johann zarco: “It was a great race. Starting 14th is very complicated. You have to fight with all the other drivers, and above 300 km/h the braking point is always difficult: you can always go wide for just a moment. It was difficult but I knew that in these high temperature conditions, all the drivers would struggle a lot. And that I would also struggle, but a little less, and could control them. I had good speed and thought I could catch up with the first group since they weren't breaking away, but ultimately after halfway I had the same pace so I concentrated on catching up Danilo and Folger. Lorenzo passed me again and he was faster in the last five laps. Really consistent and fast, so he came back to fourth. For my part, after fighting and controlling, saving this fifth position is just fantastic. I am very happy after a difficult weekend. We struggled and I think I learned a lot, and I have to use this experience for all the next races. »
You followed Lorenzo for a while. What did he have better than you?
“At the end, he had better driving than me when accelerating. He skated a little less. That was the biggest difference. The Ducatis are also good, in terms of power, and they are good at braking, but he had these two things, plus he didn't slip too much when accelerating. He braked quite well and if I had wanted to brake later than him, it would have been a big risk for the front tire. Maybe if I had attacked I could have been a little faster than him in the corners. And maybe trying to pass him in the first or second sector would have been the solution to beating him. »
How did these high temperatures affect your physical condition?
“I struggled more in Texas. In Texas, I learned and can now manage my energy better. But here, yes, it was difficult, and fortunately, my opponents also struggled and I was able to do my race very well. It was hard on the right forearm, because in terms of heat, I resisted well and I felt quite good. Twice I thought the race was over for me, when I hit Aleix Espargaro, then when Lorenzo went a little far at turn 1 and still got through turn 2, but not at the good speed, and we almost touched each other. It was hot! Ultimately, that makes you lose a little rhythm and contact. I thought I could catch up with the first group because I saw them not far away. I saw a whole line; Dovizioso, the two Hondas, plus Folger. I said to myself “Hey, it can do it!” ». But from halfway through the race or 11 laps from the end, I wasn't going any faster than them, and so it was hard to catch up with them. But I still thought I could reach the top 5 or 6, where there were Petrucci and Folger. Finally, Lorenzo passes, and he was in great shape with five laps to go. He had a lot more motor skills, he was able to manage well at the end, while Folger had none at all. I didn't have much either, but a little more than him, which allowed me to overtake him. Ultimately, Danilo's fall made it possible to have a fight only with Jonas, and not a three-way fight. It's true that at the end, we were almost standing still when we accelerated, and that's not easy. You try to get momentum into the turn, and all of a sudden, you're spinning. But overall it went well, I'm really happy. I knew they were going to have difficulty, me too but perhaps a little less, and in the end, with the two medium tires, it did well. »
Dovizioso said he won without attacking. Do you have this feeling too?
" No. Good for him (laughs). In fact, it's been two races that he hasn't attacked, since he was ill at Mugello and had to save time. And then, maybe he felt something. I think that this must be taken into account in order to progress, because it is true that, when we feel the best, that is sometimes not where we attack the most, or that is not where we force the most and it works the best. Even when the bike slips, it gives confidence and we feel that there is a way to use it, as he did there, in the last two races. He didn't break the track record once, or even the weekend record, so ultimately he was the one who was the most consistent. »
The problem was that even though he had no traction, he had a motor that pedaled. He passed Pedrosa whenever he wanted. So unless you brake like a madman…
“I find that the Ducatis brake well. Even Bautista or Lorenzo, it goes fast on the straights, but it brakes well. Me, if I arrive at the same speed, and I brake like them, today I would miss the turn. So what you also need is to be good when braking, and when braking, we are all equal. »
He had a hard tire...
“Yes, that can help. I was a bit borderline, but it was okay. But for the speed at which they were arriving, they braked very well. »
What do you remember from this weekend, more generally?
“Don’t panic. In fact, it was difficult, not just for me, and analyzing the situation a little more earlier in the weekend to be able to relax, relax, not stress myself out. I did it well on Sunday, and I should have already done it on Friday afternoon. That would probably have allowed me not to start 14th, and then why not fight for the podium? It's almost experiences like in Moto2, and sometimes you have to repeat them to yourself in order to apply them the weekend afterwards. But I think that the lesson there was “Even when you’re struggling, you’re not the only one”. »
You are the first Yamaha. Do you get anything special from it?
" No ! I take advantage of it. For me, the situation was good, Jonas was good but I suspected that in the end, seeing how he was sliding, with a little more finesse, I could beat him. And it did. Afterwards, as in Jerez, Rossi and Vinales had more difficulty than us, the two Tech3s, with the intense heat. To have. But I say that in Assen they will be on the podium again. They will be strong and I will try to be like them and follow their pace. And there, it will take me to the top. »
How do you explain that when there is no grip, the two Tech3s are stronger than them?
" I don't know. I'm not trying to explain it because it's still full of new things. Chassis 2016, 2017, hard to say. »
Were you able to see anything on the track?
“Rossi skated a lot more than me. The short time I was behind, he made the tire smoke, and I, instead of making the tire smoke, I moved forward and I didn't spin, so that means I used the tire less, I I was saving more, and I was going faster, so it's clear that when you're in the situation he was in, you can't move forward. »
