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 : “I am happy with this first day. On Thursday we expected to see rainy conditions, but ended up having two dry sessions. I am happy to have discovered MotoGP on this track, and even if it was necessary to acquire new references, such as braking points or how to open the throttle, I was able to feel at ease. easy. This is coming well. And every time I've been able to use the soft tires we've been competitive and I've been able to be with the best drivers, so that's a very positive thing. I know that everyone will improve, so we have to continue to work with the team to improve too. I like this track and the first contact was good for me. »
You are talking about soft tires. Are you going to use them in racing?
“It can be done. I hope there will be sunshine tomorrow to properly test all the tires, but this morning even the soft front tire was almost too hard. That's why the soft front tire can really be an option, like Iannone last year, and for the rear I think it will depend a lot on the temperature of the track. »
There were a lot of crashes this morning in Moto2 and the clearances are not huge. Are you worried about this?
" No, not so much. I'm more concerned about grip on the track in the wet. The way they fell was really strange. Normally when you brake and you're upright, that's the safest position, but today it was the worst. So I'm hoping for dry conditions and not trying this experiment here. Yes, I'm more concerned about that front grip in the wet because the Moto2 crashes this morning were very strange. »
Do you think the clearances are big enough for MotoGP?
“The problem is that the clearances seem sufficient if you fall in a normal way, but if you fall when you are upright, your bike is going maybe 200 km/h and we should do clearances of a kilometer. It's impossible. If the rider doesn't go as far as touching the wall, it's OK, but when you fall straight and the bike goes like that, it's sure that the rider will hit the wall because it's too much fast. »
A general feeling?
" Yes. Thrilled ! During Monday's tests, we rode well and that still allowed me to grow on the bike. And there I see, by discovering the track, that I am able to sense good things more quickly and to give comments in order to move forward. Already, from morning to afternoon, we made a small gap on the bike which gave me a lot of comfort, and everyone improved, but I stayed with them. I followed the wagon and continued to improve with still good feelings. So it's positive. Afterwards, in terms of tires, it's difficult to say. To still save this place in the top 10, we still have to put on the soft tire and set the time. We see that it's so tight, that it's too stupid to be fooled by two or three tenths. And I don't want to be in this situation! »
What did you do on Monday that allowed you to evolve?
“We did 70 laps (laughs)! Driving, really driving. When you are able to do the 70 laps with correct times throughout the day, it's a sign that I have more confidence on the bike, and that I use the bike better without spending more money. 'energy. And that's important in all categories, but even more so on a MotoGP which is really stronger than you, because it's very powerful. »
You were by far the fastest in the fourth sector…
" It's true. It's only two turns, so the gaps are very small. I was told, yes. I have a good feeling about that. Sector 1 is also not bad. I think the worst is sector 3. It's a sector where there are two left turns that I like, but it's true that on turn 6, just by sensations, you can gain some time. »
Tell us, in French, about security…
" Yes. It's hard to say about clearances. I think they're already pretty good but the problem with a motorcycle, when you're braking and it goes straight, it's not normal falls but then the motorcycle has to go all the way to the wall . There, in addition, there are three turns that are similar, 1, 3 and 4: you arrive quickly, you brake straight and you enter a very slow turn. So you're braking straight for a long time, and if the bike leaves, you need enormous clearance. When you brake straight, it is the safest position for the rider and the motorcycle. This is where you can slow down the most. But this morning, even with the slicks we blocked the front a little, so it wasn't surprising that in the rain they all fell to the ground. A straight fall like that, you can't say that there isn't enough clearance: the bike has to go. There are plenty of circuits that are like that. You don't fall straight there, but if you did... For example in Texas. We don't have that problem there, but I know that at the end of the straight line, if it goes away, we're screwed! We don't get to turn 15 since there are two guardrails between the two. This is turn 12.
No, it's weird falling straight like that. Maybe it's that there are too many Formula 1 drivers who have driven and put a lot of rubber where you brake. Maybe if we brake in the middle of the track, we'll grip better. But it feels weird braking in the middle of the track to enter a corner. But if you want to use the correct trajectory, in my opinion you are taking all the crap out of cars. »
After taking a step back, a little word about your Brno race?
“I think I had a euphoric side to be in front again, to feel good in front, behind Valentino. We told me “it was so simple, you follow Valentino and you come home”. I like it, because yes, it's true that it seems easy to follow Valentino. But you have to do it, already, to follow Valentino, and I had a side “I’m good, one more lap won’t penalize me”. In the concentration of following the first and quickly overtaking them, because I was mainly focused on quickly overtaking them, I did not analyze the track well. And it's true that once I found myself alone, so on my last lap on wet tires, I realized that, in fact, the track was completely dry. There you are wasting your time. We told me " It was enough " to follow Valentino. Yes, it's that simple (laughs). You have to think quickly. Experience is there. Always getting better and better on the bike allows you, even when you're struggling, to analyze the track at the same time. And I didn't analyze it enough in the first three rounds. »
So just one day of testing allowed you to regain your confidence...
“Yeah, I was happy to ride and get that out of my head. Brno is a track that I like. I'm enjoying it. Just being on a MotoGP is a treat too because it’s still new for me. Every weekend I have new sensations. So you have to be able to assimilate all of that. There is the fun side because it’s MotoGP and it’s Brno. And what's more, it took away a little of the disappointment of Sunday. »
#AustrianGP FP2 Ranking:
01- Andrea Dovizioso – Ducati Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP – 1'24.046
02- Maverick Vinales – Movistar Yamaha MotoGP – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 0.234
03- Dani Pedrosa - Repsol Honda Team - Honda RC213V - + 0.428
04- Johann Zarco – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 0.476
05- Jorge Lorenzo – Ducati Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP – + 0.570
06- Marc Marquez – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC213V – + 0.603
07- Cal Crutchlow – LCR Honda – Honda RC213V – + 0.622
08- Aleix Espargaro – Aprilia Racing Team Gresini – Aprilia RS-GP – + 0.680
09- Scott Redding – OCTO Pramac Racing – Ducati Desmosedici GP – + 0.719
10- Alvaro Bautista – Pull&Bear Aspar Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP – + 0.734
11- Pol Espargaro – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing – KTM RC16 – + 0.813
12- Valentino Rossi – Movistar Yamaha MotoGP – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 0.837
13- Loris Baz – Reale Avintia Racing – Ducati Desmosedici GP – + 0.879
14- Danilo Petrucci – OCTO Pramac Racing – Ducati Desmosedici GP – + 0.889
15- Jonas Folger – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 0.946
16- Andrea Iannone – Team Suzuki Ecstar – Suzuki GSX-RR – + 1.172
17- Hector Barbera – Reale Avintia Racing – Ducati Desmosedici GP – + 1.212
18- Sam Lowes – Aprilia Racing Team Gresini – Aprilia RS-GP – + 1.224
19- Mika Kallio – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing – KTM RC16 – + 1.274
20- Jack Miller – EG 0,0 Marc VDS – Honda RC213V – + 1.289
21- Karel Abraham – Pull&Bear Aspar Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP – + 1.323
22- Alex Rins – Team Suzuki Ecstar – Suzuki GSX-RR – + 1.406
23- Tito Rabat – EG 0,0 Marc VDS – Honda RC213V – + 1.570
24- Bradley Smith – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing – KTM RC16 – + 1.618
Learn more at https://www.paddock-gp.com/austriangp-motogp-j-1-jonas-folger-12-places-plus-loin-5-dixiemes/#QBrZHgYKgbERPVj7.99
