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.
Was the day more difficult today than yesterday?
“Yes, the whole qualification was difficult. This morning, I was happy with my time, and happy to be in the top 10 to save Q2. And in the heat of this afternoon, the bike's control was good in the fast laps. I was comfortable on the bike but yes, I lacked a little traction to get out of a corner well. I could follow some drivers, the corner entries were good as well as the passing speed, but it was spinning too much on the exit, even with a new tire. Maybe it was too hot for me, and that's why I couldn't set a very good time. I wanted to be in the first two lines. I will start tenth, but whatever happens, it's not a disaster because the work we did in FP4, even though I wasn't in the leading positions, but I was the only one to stay with worn tires. If we do a good analysis, I was able to understand things and have a good feeling in case the race is dry tomorrow. »
Do you prefer a dry or wet race?
“It doesn't matter to me. I will wait until tomorrow, happy that we had a test on Friday morning, and I know that I will have to get into my rhythm quickly to be strong in the race. And if it's dry, you have to fight anyway, and if I couldn't be very fast on one lap this afternoon, I think, after about 10 laps, I can be more consistent, compared to the guys in front of me and from what I saw this afternoon. »
Do you know which tires you are going to use?
“I need to talk to my team but I should go to medium/medium. »
What happened when you crashed in FP3?
“I made a small mistake at the braking point. I braked a little later, and here we are in sixth gear. It was too fast and I couldn't get into the corner. I tried to slow down and when I got to the gravel I fell. So it was a big mistake when braking. »
Do you think you can catch the right car at the start or is it going to be complicated?
“I like this track and I saw during testing, even yesterday afternoon, that my rhythm was good. Even when I'm alone, I get into the rhythm pretty quickly. This morning too. So that's an important point to quickly find your place at the start of the race. »
The problem you mention, when exiting a turn. Can we correct it tomorrow at Warm up?
“It's difficult to feel in the Warm up but if it's dry, for the Warm up, it will be worn tire and have a pace maybe 5 tenths faster than what I was able to do in FP4. That will be a good sign for the race. So you can feel it, but with difficulty, because we will no longer be on the same time reference tomorrow morning. »
How do you rate your racing pace?
“In FP4, I was 13th I think, so far in the standings but I was the only one to use worn tires from start to finish. So difficult to compare with others. In any case, the team, both Laurent and Guy, reassured me by telling me that we had still done some work for the race and that the pace really wasn't disgusting. When you're on your own, you get into a rhythm, but on my last lap, I had Pedrosa in front, which allowed me to understand certain things in driving and to repeat my personal best time after 22 laps. There is interesting management. »
What allows you to say that, after 10 laps, you will have a rhythm that will allow you to pick up the people in front of you?
“Because the tire is deteriorating, I don't feel it falling all at once. If I manage to get into the right rhythm and feel good, then I think my tire degradation will be less significant than the others, and that's why as the laps go by, I can with each times have more and more advantage. »
Do you feel that the three Hondas, who came to test here 15 days ago, have an advantage?
“I was able to have Márquez like Pedrosa in front and they perhaps have a certain advantage, but they are still in their own style. And there we see that it works well. I think so, their tuning is good but they could have performed just as well if they hadn't done the test. »
There is a good chance that the Grand Prix will take place in the rain. Does this worry or motivate you?
" To have. You have to quickly gain confidence and get into the right rhythm. And there, the same: the better the sensations are during the race, the more confidence I will gain. So there will really be something to achieve a great result because, in FP1, being first in the rain was great! Whereas I kept the same tires from start to finish.
