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…
Johann zarco : “the summer break was good for me. It lasted 2 weeks. The first was a bit busy but the second was really the best for me to rest, start physical training again and also ride a motorcycle. So I have good energy again and I am happy to be here, in the Czech Republic. We were able to see with my team that even when we had problems in the last races, we didn't lack much to catch up with the good group or stay in the Top 5. And about those little things that made us missed, we saw maybe need to take the situation a little more relaxed and let the work get done, and be better on Sunday. Because we started well on Friday, then I became nervous because perhaps I wanted too much and I didn't analyze well enough. Then on Sunday, in the end, as I wanted too much, I almost got nothing because I wasn't comfortable on the bike. This is what we analyzed over the summer and I am happy that we were able to speak clearly together in this way. I don't want to think about victory because I feel that even if we are consistent lap after lap, we need too much to get it. But podium pace is definitely something we can think about. And this is also what we can see in the championship: the victory is for Marc who has already escaped, but the other guys are not that far away. And everyone also struggles a little. That’s my analysis (laughs).”
You encountered some problems during the last races. Who did you talk to about resolving them?
“First of all with myself (laughs). Then with Laurent during some training with the Supermoto, and now with the team. But the first one I spoke to was myself (laughs). I tried to get back to everything I was doing. As I said, I feel that there are 3 important elements: the bike, the team and the rider. The bike and the team are the things you can control best because they are technical things. You almost always set them the same way. And as in the last races I did not find the solution in the bike and in the team, I was able to have the summer break and training to feel that I could improve or change myself.
Have concerns that you think about, like your motorcycle that won't evolve, been disturbing you?
“Having the bike that is always the same is already a problem created in my head. You can't try anything on it or feel anything else. So this element will remain the same, but with the team we feel that he is still good enough to get a podium. That's really the goal. When we can change things, maybe we don't have a lot of room, or maybe we're at the most we can do. We don't do this maximum all the time but we are close to it, and that's why I have to stay cool, which will allow me to play with the bike. Because when we try too many things on the bike, we eventually lose that control.”
There have been a lot of stories about you and Laurent Fellon over the last 2 or 3 weeks. What is the current situation. Are you still together?
" We are always together. With Laurent, what is special during training is this feeling that we have when we are on a circuit with a motorcycle. There is a kind of special feeling between us. I appreciate it and I want to continue using it, continue working in this way, because I think it can make me even stronger, even in the future. But as I progress in my career, I need to change various things, like a child growing up. This is why people think we disagree or disagree. we face, but we only change a little the way of managing, but not the way of working on a circuit.”
Is he still your coach but no longer involved in management?
" Yes that's it. In a simple way, we can see it like that.”
What is your objective for the second half of the season?
“I want to fight for 2nd place in the championship! With the points I have, I am capable of being there and the solution is therefore to be back on the podium. The bike can do it, so that’s really the goal.”
How many days did you go without riding a motorcycle during the summer break?
“A bit too long for my current level. But I couldn't do otherwise. Sometimes breaks are good, but here I had to spend about 14 days without a bike.”
Didn't you miss it?
“Yes (laughs)! Yes, yes, it fails after a while, but that's okay: it sometimes allows you to reset your body and mind. And when I resumed training, I was certainly perhaps not in my track record, because some sensations may be missing, but that allows me to clean things up.”
Were you with Laurent during your training?
" Yes yes ! ".
On your tour in Eyguière?
“In fact, we use two tracks. Eyguière and Ganges, the one where we also train the kids. We can vary from one to the other, and Eyguière being in the midst of administrative formalization, it is sometimes better to start with the other, while we get the work done.”
What is your state of mind when you are far away in the standings but very close in the time trial: do you think you have reached the limits of the bike?
“My state of mind is the same as that of the team and I’m happy with it. We feel there is potential with this bike could be on the podium almost all the time. On paper, we see that we can be there. We are not there in practice, probably because we have zero room for development. With our equipment, we have very little room for maneuver but we feel that we can grab the podium. The problem is that we can quickly get out of this room for maneuver, and that's what happened in the last races. It's also due to my stress and my behavior which sometimes take us out of this zone. The goal is to stay there. We can never be sure but we are aware that we would have had better results if we had stayed in this zone throughout the previous races.”
Do you have a good memory from last year's race here?
“No, a flag to flag race where I wanted to lead the race. And so, when quite a few drivers returned, I stayed one more lap compared to Valentino, because on wet tires, in the dry, these are generally sensations that I like. But there, I was wasting so much time that it ultimately did me a complete disservice. I would have at least taken a lead lap (laughs). It's not a great memory in terms of results, but without taking it seriously, I was still on wet tires when Márquez overtook me on slick tires. And then I said to myself that maybe my strategy was not the right one (laughs).
I had a decent weekend but a tough qualifying and race.”
Laurent, who is no longer a manager but only a coach, is still important: can you explain to us how you arrived at this decision?
" Later ! I will explain it to you later because we are in the middle of a change.”
Are you staying for Monday's test and, if so, do you think you'll receive any new developments?
“Yes, I’m staying. But I don't know, I'll let the team do it. But already, just riding will do me good. We're not a team that can sometimes jump on the bike between two weekends on such a different motorcycle circuit. We only touch the bike 3 times a week during race weeks. So there, it allows you to get back into rhythm. 3 days of racing, a day of testing, 3 days of break and another 3 days of racing in Austria: if there is a rhythm to take, it is now! ".
Yamaha has 12 consecutive podiums. What are they missing to get a victory?
“I find it hard to say. I don't know. She is still 2nd, 3rd and even 4th in the championship, since we are tied with Dovi. So this is both the strength of the Yamaha and the strength of Valentino: nothing extravagant but still very consistent and almost everywhere. Valentino, once he found the rhythm since Le Mans, he still had good results! Afterwards, what is missing for victory is perhaps a little success, because when it is not Márquez's turn, it has been Lorenzo's 2 times where he has been extraordinary. We know that when Lorenzo has this feeling, he is almost unbeatable. Otherwise, what gets stuck is still very much Marc (laughs)! ".
