Si yesterday, there were three of us around Johann Zarco for his first official meeting with the press during the French Grand Prix, today around ten journalists and several televisions were waiting for the Tech3 driver after an FP2 contested completely on a wet track.
It seems to surprise you that there are so many people...
Johann zarco : “surprise, no. It's just important to know how to handle it properly and, for now, it's joy. It's only the beginning and I'm mature enough to realize that it's not easy. So, I like it but you have to have a moment of solitude beforehand to get into your head. »
What are your first impressions of your start to the season?
“This is not a debriefing medium, that. It's an interview. There, we are here to do a media debrief and for me to talk about my day. I don't have time to do an interview. Sorry. »
How was the day?
“For me, the day was good. For now, I'm still in third position thanks to this morning's session. As we finished on the slick tires, this allowed me to set the third fastest time to qualify in the top 10. That is to say, if it rains tomorrow, again in the morning, I am automatically qualified for the afternoon session, and that is important. Strategically, to prepare for the race, it's a very good thing. Then in the afternoon, I had a session completely in the rain, and there, I was impressed by the pace of the guys in front. So it allowed me to progress lap after lap, and ultimately, to still stay far away, but to start to be in the game. »
Did you learn anything from this kind of day?
“Yes, completely. The track has incredible grip, which actually allows you to push your limits as you go, in the rain. We are almost at levels where we drive like in the dry, and it's impressive to push a motorcycle so much in the rain, and also to have such grip thanks to the asphalt, the motorcycle and the tires. It also allows you to work with the team and develop a bike in the rain. »
How did the first laps go on the drying track with the slick tires? Not too difficult to manage?
“The asphalt is very black here, so it's difficult to manage, to see if it's really dry or not. I took it very cautiously and when I saw that there was only one lap left, I had analyzed the track enough to push. »
Did you expect to be so comfortable on this track, despite the tricky conditions?
“I think that third place is more due to the strategy of having put on the slicks very early, and therefore being able to analyze the track for almost a quarter of an hour, freewheeling we will say. I was riding slowly, and after a good analysis, it was just a matter of pushing. In my opinion, those who used the wet tires for much longer in the session did not have time to switch to the slicks. They were perhaps expecting it to be dry in the afternoon, but that's where, sometimes, a decision on changing bikes, changing tires, can play a big role. »
Is there anything in particular to work on tomorrow if the track dries?
" No. For now, you have to get used to the track as much as possible, gain confidence with the bike, and it's still a very narrow track for MotoGP, so you have to know how to anticipate each turn well so as not to find yourself in trouble. »
You said that the track had a lot of grip, couldn't this improvement in grip reduce our visibility of the grip limit?
" No. At the limits, when the conditions are dry, I think it allows you to push them back. The motorcycle always warns. It is only in drying conditions that it is complicated to know where we can grow or not. The drying conditions, if you have slicks, it's complicated. As soon as you have rain tires, it's safe everywhere. »
Do you have time to see the banners while driving?
" No. We do not have time. But as soon as we passed the checkered flag, yes. You can take the time to look at them, but it is better to concentrate turn by turn. »
Combined classification J.1:
1 43 EG 0,0 Marc VDS J.MILLER AUS HONDA 1'37.467 18 1'42.729 12
2 93 Repsol Honda Team M.MARQUEZ SPA HONDA 1'38.755 17 1'41.716 18 1.288 1.288
3 5 Monster Yamaha Tech 3 J.ZARCO FRA YAMAHA 1'39.248 20 1'44.177 21 1.781 0.493
4 35 LCR Honda C.CRUTCHLOW GBR HONDA 1'39.607 13 1'43.340 9 2.140 0.359
5 76 Reale Avintia Racing L.BAZ FRA DUCATI 1'40.427 17 1'43.250 19 2.960 0.820
6 17 Pull&Bear Aspar Team K.ABRAHAM CZE DUCATI 1'40.528 14 1'47.127 7 3.061 0.101
7 38 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing B.SMITH GBR KTM 1'40.817 7 1'47.701 10 3.350 0.289
8 46 Movistar Yamaha MotoGP V.ROSSI ITA YAMAHA 1'40.894 16 1'43.006 20 3.427 0.077
9 19 Pull&Bear Aspar Team A.BAUTISTA SPA DUCATI 1'41.024 21 1'42.625 21 3.557 0.130
10 25 Movistar Yamaha MotoGP M.VIÑALES SPA YAMAHA 1'41.307 11 1'42.894 17 3.840 0.283
11 29 Team SUZUKI ECSTAR A.IANNONE ITA SUZUKI 1'41.562 15 1'42.078 20 4.095 0.255
12 94 Monster Yamaha Tech 3 J.FOLGER GER YAMAHA 1'41.644 11 1'45.119 14 4.177 0.082
13 4 Ducati Team A.DOVIZIOSO ITA DUCATI 1'41.871 9 1'41.673 18 4.206 0.029
14 26 Repsol Honda Team D.PEDROSA SPA HONDA 1'41.854 13 1'45.804 17 4.387 0.181
15 9 OCTO Pramac Racing D.PETRUCCI ITA DUCATI 1'41.887 16 1'41.906 12 4.420 0.033
16 45 OCTO Pramac Racing S.REDDING GBR DUCATI 1'42.040 15 1'41.925 21 4.458 0.038
17 99 Ducati Team J.LORENZO SPA DUCATI 1'41.947 10 1'44.276 12 4.480 0.022
18 53 EG 0,0 Marc VDS T.RABAT SPA HONDA 1'42.094 18 1'44.678 21 4.627 0.147
19 22 Aprilia Racing Team Gresini S.LOWES GBR APRILIA 1'42.243 6 1'42.998 18 4.776 0.149
20 50 Team SUZUKI ECSTAR S.GUINTOLI FRA SUZUKI 1'42.891 17 1'44.572 12 5.424 0.648
21 8 Reale Avintia Racing H.BARBERA SPA DUCATI 1'42.953 16 1'45.074 17 5.486 0.062
22 41 Aprilia Racing Team Gresini A.ESPARGARO SPA APRILIA 1'43.114 7 1'43.177 16 5.647 0.161
23 44 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing P.ESPARGARO SPA KTM 1'43.519 10 1'45.622 13 6.052 0.405
