We perpetuate our habit of referring to you in full the words of Johann Zarco, in a raw way, therefore without any journalistic formatting or distortion.
Alongside the sometimes slightly formatted communication of traditional press releases, the exchanges between the French rider and the journalists in the hospitality of the Monster Yamaha Tech3 team are of a richness and simplicity that true enthusiasts will appreciate (you can find all his past debriefings in our section “Interviews").
There is always the little detail that immerses enthusiasts more and more every day in the world of MotoGP…
How was your day ? Are you happy with your motorcycle?
“I feel pretty OK on the bike. It's hard to be much faster. I really gave everything I could but the others are pretty strong. Maybe I have better speed than what I was able to do in qualifying, even in this qualifying, I'm not very far. So it's OK, I have to stay cool and focused until tomorrow, and have confidence that I can do something good. As I said, we tried to have a good pace with the soft tires but I think the soft rear tire is not good for me for the race if the temperatures are high. In this case we will have to choose between medium and hard. I will analyze this with the team later this evening. So I'm OK, a little disappointed because I would have liked to be closer to the first row because it is very important, while the 8th position is on the 3rd row. But as we know, that doesn't mean anything, and you just have to be able to fight at the beginning and then find that rhythm despite the heat. If you feel these good feelings, then you can be strong.”
What are you missing compared to the guys in front of you?
“I don't know, because I feel pretty good on the bike, so it's difficult to ask for better grip or better cornering. Everything responds quite well but I think that, yes, the main point remains the traction of the bike. Does it come from the Yamaha, does it come from the rider? It's hard to say but we can see by looking at the first row that maybe the Yamaha has a weak point in this area. I don't know. We’ll see the pace tomorrow.”
In terms of grip, what is the difference compared to last year?
“I think that compared to last year, we are eating less tires and we are much more consistent. Last year we could be fast for a few laps and then the tire deteriorated a lot. Now, whether it's the softs, the mediums or the hards, you just need to find the right rhythm, but the tire is pretty consistent, and that's good for all the riders to work for the race."
So there is a lack of traction on the Yamaha?
“I don't know if it's the Yamaha, because there, after analysis, we still see that the 2 Ducatis perhaps have this performance better than us, in addition to their speed. But above all I think that they are better at using this acceleration, and there we are reaching our limit a little. But it's okay, I always do a little work on myself to try to progress. What Márquez did remains an example: even in difficulty, he still manages to get out of laps very quickly. And the goal is to achieve this capacity to surpass oneself, without falling. “It’s always something to take into account.”
You've done several straightaways, does that prove that you're at full speed all the time?
" Yes. But it's still better to go straight than to fall. The one in qualifying was because Márquez used my wheel to set the first time, which was already very fast, and then, with the slipstream, he passed me under braking. And there, during braking, the fact that he overtook me, it put me at a limit on the front tire and I was unable to stop.”
Is the track still as tricky as yesterday or has it changed?
“I think it has evolved because we still see that between the morning and the afternoon, as soon as it gets warmer you have to find other little things on the bike to keep a good grip and good performance with the rear tire. But here I find that from time to time I was able to make a small deviation, and it holds up. So, as I said yesterday, we will say that the track is getting bigger, and that’s good.”
Will your position on the grid change your approach to the start of the race?
" I don't know. I'm not trying to project myself too much into that. Right now, I'm off to the best start of the season, and that's a good thing. Lately, just at the starts, I was getting less and less good and so I went back to the basics. If I can repeat these good starts during all the tests, it will be a big help tomorrow. And then, see. As soon as I can overtake, I will have to double to take the group of 4 or 5 first, in my opinion.”
Iannone says there is a very slippery sort of ice rink in the first turn. Did you notice it?
" No. At the limit, when we deviated from the trajectory where there were no longer any tire tracks, yes. But not particularly in the first corner. I think it's a general feeling all over the place. Except there, by dint of driving, this off-trajectory ice rink effect is greatly reduced.”
Catalan Grand Prix Barcelona MotoGP J.2: Chronos
| 1 | 99 | Jorge Lorenzo | Ducati | 1'38.680 | ||
| 2 | 93 | Marc Márquez | Honda | 1'38.746 | 0.066 | 0.066 |
| 3 | 4 | Andrea Dovizioso | Ducati | 1'38.923 | 0.243 | 0.177 |
| 4 | 25 | Maverick VIÑALES | Yamaha | 1'39.145 | 0.465 | 0.222 |
| 5 | 29 | Andrea Iannone | Suzuki | 1'39.148 | 0.468 | 0.003 |
| 6 | 9 | Danilo PETRUCCI | Ducati | 1'39.178 | 0.498 | 0.030 |
| 7 | 46 | Valentino ROSSI | Yamaha | 1'39.266 | 0.586 | 0.088 |
| 8 | 5 | johann zarco | Yamaha | 1'39.331 | 0.651 | 0.065 |
| 9 | 53 | Tito RABAT | Ducati | 1'39.504 | 0.824 | 0.173 |
| 10 | 35 | Cal Crutchlow | Honda | 1'39.556 | 0.876 | 0.052 |
| 11 | 26 | Dani PEDROSA | Honda | 1'39.695 | 1.015 | 0.139 |
| 12 | 30 | Takaaki NAKAGAMI | Honda | 1'39.888 | 1.208 | 0.193 |
| Q1 Results: | ||||||
| Q2 | 93 | Marc Márquez | Honda | 1'39.217 | ||
| Q2 | 30 | Takaaki NAKAGAMI | Honda | 1'39.663 | 0.446 | 0.446 |
| 13 | 43 | Jack Miller | Ducati | 1'39.732 | 0.515 | 0.069 |
| 14 | 55 | Hafiz Syahrin | Yamaha | 1'39.879 | 0.662 | 0.147 |
| 15 | 42 | Alex Rins | Suzuki | 1'39.918 | 0.701 | 0.039 |
| 16 | 41 | Aleix Espargaro | Aprilia | 1'40.010 | 0.793 | 0.092 |
| 17 | 38 | Bradley SMITH | KTM | 1'40.019 | 0.802 | 0.009 |
| 18 | 21 | Frank MORBIDELLI | Honda | 1'40.058 | 0.841 | 0.039 |
| 19 | 44 | Pol Espargaró | KTM | 1'40.178 | 0.961 | 0.120 |
| 20 | 45 | Scott REDDING | Aprilia | 1'40.300 | 1.083 | 0.122 |
| 21 | 17 | Karel ABRAHAM | Ducati | 1'40.449 | 1.232 | 0.149 |
| 22 | 19 | Alvaro BAUTISTA | Ducati | 1'40.524 | 1.307 | 0.075 |
| 23 | 36 | Mika Kallio | KTM | 1'40.572 | 1.355 | 0.048 |
| 24 | 12 | Thomas LUTHI | Honda | 1'40.590 | 1.373 | 0.018 |
| 25 | 50 | Sylvain GUINTOLI | Suzuki | 1'40.834 | 1.617 | 0.244 |
| 26 | 10 | Xavier SIMEON | Ducati | 1'41.369 | 2.152 | 0.535 |
