Johann Zarco started the season with a stunning performance at the Losail International Circuit.
Johann zarco started the season with a breathtaking performance at the Losail International Circuit. The pilot Monster Yamaha Tech3 shone brighter than the spotlights during the first 17 out of 22 laps while leading the first MotoGP of the year. In difficulty with his tires, the French star had to give up the lead towards the end to finally finish in 8e position.
On the other side of the garage Monster Yamaha Tech3, Hafizh Syahrin was 17e after the first lap of his inaugural premier class race and fought bravely with much more experienced riders to cross the finish line in 14e position. The talented rookie thus brought the first MotoGP points to his native country, Malaysia.
Johann zarco, 8th: “I had a good weekend! The race was good. Starting from pole position was a good feeling and a good opportunity to fight with the best. I got a good start and got the upper hand, because I wanted to lead the race and I was quite comfortable here, unable to be faster than the others, but no one overtook me . I tried to control the rear grip well, to always have the possibility of exiting the corner, which worked well. Then, with seven laps to go, I tried to push a little more to maybe make a gap, but already during the race I had a feeling of limit with the front, which I did not experience during training. When the others caught me with five laps to go, I really understood that I could no longer use the front tire on the right side properly, and that's why I couldn't fight. It was really difficult, a few times I almost fell and finishing eighth at the end was better than nothing, because in this condition it's good to finish the race. »
Hafiz Syahrin, 14th: “I felt really good in the race. I want to say a big thank you to my team, because they did a great job. I finished my first race in MotoGP inside the points, which is even beyond my target, but when you put your focus and motivation there, it's possible. With about seven laps to go, I changed the power on the bike and four laps later I took off again. It's also a big part of my learning curve for understanding electronics. I was a little nervous in the race, I didn't want to make a mistake and end up in the gravel. I finished the race and brought two points for the team, which makes me really happy. I hope I can improve further in the next race and I continue to train hard to be more ready and give the rest of the drivers a challenge. »
Hervé Poncharal: “An incredible round in Qatar for MotoGP and the Monster Yamaha Tech3 team! With pole position we were very happy last night, but we knew the hardest part was coming on race day. Honestly, I expected a tough fight, but I didn't expect Johann to lead the race for the first time. He seemed quite comfortable. I can't deny the fact, that I was starting to think that there was a possibility of finally winning a race, but we could see, that he was struggling. We thought the tires were the reason and he confirmed that. There was nothing he could do, just hang on to the bike and wait for the flag. Eight people were in the lead group, which were quite close. Ultimately, it's quite sad to finish last in this group, but on the other hand, we have to be optimistic and see the glass as half full and not half empty. There are a lot of positives. He's here, he's going to fight and I'm completely sure he's going to push for this victory again, it's his dream and that of the whole team. On the other side of the garage, I think, we must be more than happy, because Hafizh produced an incredible performance throughout the weekend. His qualification was excellent, even if the start was not ideal. But it was his very first GP start and we told him not to make mistakes. So he lost a few positions, but recovered. He fought with a lot of top drivers and finished with two points, which is an incredible performance. Of course, the room for improvement is huge, but anyway, congratulations to him, big congratulations to Johann and the whole team, because everyone is working really, really hard. It's not the end of the weekend that we would have hoped for, but we have to accept that it's part of the game and we must now focus on resting up and being ready for Argentina. »
MotoGP #QatarGP Losail J.3: Ranking
| 1 | 4 | Andrea Dovizioso | Ducati | 42'34.654 |
| 2 | 93 | Marc Márquez | Honda | +0.027 |
| 3 | 46 | Valentino ROSSI | Yamaha | +0.797 |
| 4 | 35 | Cal Crutchlow | Honda | +2.881 |
| 5 | 9 | Danilo PETRUCCI | Ducati | +3.821 |
| 6 | 25 | Maverick VIÑALES | Yamaha | +3.888 |
| 7 | 26 | Dani PEDROSA | Honda | +4.621 |
| 8 | 5 | johann zarco | Yamaha | +7.112 |
| 9 | 29 | Andrea Iannone | Suzuki | +12.957 |
| 10 | 43 | Jack Miller | Ducati | +14.594 |
| 11 | 53 | Tito RABAT | Ducati | +15.181 |
| 12 | 21 | Frank MORBIDELLI | Honda | +16.274 |
| 13 | 19 | Alvaro BAUTISTA | Ducati | +19.788 |
| 14 | 55 | Hafiz Syahrin | Yamaha | +20.299 |
| 15 | 17 | Karel ABRAHAM | Ducati | +23.287 |
| 16 | 12 | Thomas LUTHI | Honda | +24.189 |
| 17 | 30 | Takaaki NAKAGAMI | Honda | +24.554 |
| 18 | 38 | Bradley SMITH | KTM | +31.704 |
| 19 | 41 | Aleix Espargaro | Aprilia | +34.712 |
| 20 | 45 | Scott REDDING | Aprilia | +37.641 |
| 21 | 10 | Xavier SIMEON | Ducati | +46.706 |
| Not Classified | ||||
| 44 | Pol Espargaró | KTM | 7 lapses | |
| 42 | Alex Rins | Suzuki | 10 lapses | |
| 99 | Jorge Lorenzo | Ducati | 10 lapses |
