During this post-race press conference of the French Grand Prix which also brought together Maverick Vinales (see here) and Dani Pedrosa, Johann Zarco responded with pleasure to journalists' questions, delighted with this second place which constitutes the best result of his very young career in MotoGP.
As usual, in order to avoid any abusive journalistic interpretation, we offer you a “raw” translation of the entirety of Johann Zarco's words, without any formatting.
You expected to make a good start and that's exactly what you did...
Johann zarco : " THANKS ! Maverick also did a good job in bringing the 500th victory to Yamaha, which is very good for them. For me, leading the race was a good thing. It is true that since the first race I have felt good in the first corners, and starting from the first row I seized this opportunity again. When I was in the lead, I had a quick flash about Qatar (laughs). And I said to myself “hey, don’t make a mistake” but the conditions were better and it was easier to stay on the bike. When he overtook me it was great because he was extremely fast but I was able to keep up with him. And I think that, for me, that was a key to the podium. I took his pace and then we were able to escape. At the end, Valentino was very strong even though there were not many laps left. So I was happy with this third place but when he started to fight with Maverick, I thought that since here in France it's a tight circuit, something could happen. And something happened, so I'm just happy because there are so many fans here and it gave me positive energy since I've never been as strong as this. I'm learning and having fun: it's just extraordinary! »
You chose soft tires which, in the end, did not deteriorate that much. For what ?
" Yes. Because I only used the tender ones during the weekend. We wanted to use the softs to maintain that confidence and I was lucky that it had been very sunny since the morning, but the track wasn't as hot as we expected. And that was another key to maintaining that pace today. »
What is more important to you: your first MotoGP podium or your two world titles?
“I live in the present, I live in the moment. The emotion of the second title was very strong and I cried a lot on the podium because the pressure was higher. This weekend at Le Mans there was a bit of pressure because, like in Moto2 and 125 in the past, it's the only Grand Prix where people recognize you and say “hey, Zarco podium, Zarco podium”. So you always answer " Yes yes " and at the end of the weekend you realize that you had too much pressure and that you didn't drive well. I didn't want to make those kinds of mistakes, and when I started on Friday, and also Saturday morning, I felt that kind of pressure, so from FP4 I said to myself " stay calm " and I think from FP4 it's just been a perfect weekend so far. There are more emotions for the title, because it builds from the first race to the title. During the 18 races of the championship you have time to be stressed, whereas at the moment we are in the fifth race. I learn, I discover many things and I love being there, among the best. »
Where was and where is your limit? Did you see the fight between Rossi and Vinales?
“With the soft tire, during the last seven laps, I started to struggle a little, and they were still better than me coming out of corners. Vinales was better than me in this area of driving, but I was able to follow him and it was complicated at the end. And when Rossi overtook me, he was better at passing speed. So I was happy, and when I saw them fighting, seeing Vale strong like that, I thought he was going to overtake Maverick and escape. But Maverick attacked him in that corner on the last lap, and then I had another thought in mind, judging that it was tight and something could happen. So I was a bit far away, trying to keep a good pace and stay focused, but really, I was at the limit and they were at the limit, so not able to attack.
Where is my limit? At this level you have to do everything perfectly when you fly; you have to attack when entering a corner, you have to lift the bike and control the grip when exiting a corner. So when Maverick gradually opened up the gap, I sometimes wanted to catch up with him when braking and entering corners because I think those were my strong points this weekend, but when you're already on the podium, you don't want to attack to that limit and take even more risks. Because I always lose acceleration, and, compensating when braking, you can sometimes do it during half the race. Today I did it longer, but there is a limit and I have to work on that. »
Do you think it will now be easier or more difficult for you?
“It’s always difficult to attack at the limit. I need to experience almost every track with this bike. I have known all the circuits very well for many years but I now approach them with a lot of humility to do a good job. So it can't be easier because we have top riders up front; they have been champions for a long time and they also know how to attack every weekend for many years. I want to be part of this group, I have to attack almost like them. »
Have you specially prepared for the end of the race?
“I didn’t particularly prepare to finish the race better. My weak point remains skating and acceleration. Again it was very difficult in Argentina because I was skating a lot, then in Texas I was able to stay with the leading riders until halfway, and in Jerez I lost contact in the last third of the race. Monday's test in Jerez was a good day to try different things and feel more control with the tires after 15 or 20 laps. That was the biggest factor in staying there. »
Photo credit: MotoGP.com
