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 us more every day in the world of MotoGP…
Johann, you had a fantastic start to the race but you seemed a little short on race pace, which made you attack excessively...
Johann zarco : “regarding the rhythm, I think I could have had it. I don't know about the victory, but for 2nd place or the podium, it was possible. Normally, with the bike getting lighter with less fuel, I could have had an advantage or a better feeling after halfway. But the problem I had during all those laps at the start of the race was that trying to pass Lorenzo was too difficult. I tried to do it but I lost a lot of acceleration. When you then have to catch him and then think about how you could overtake him, I think that sucked all my energy. I was over 100% trying to do it and that's why I made that mistake on the turn. I didn't expect to fall. Maybe I should have waited to have less fuel and be more comfortable, wait because maybe Jorge would have been a little slower so I could overtake him, but the way I was attacking this moment did not leave me the possibility of acting in this direction. Maybe if I had tried to wait more I would have lost more positions. I was almost facing a wall, not knowing what to do, and I had to give my best.”
Do you think the pressure of your home Grand Prix played a role?
“I think now, with experience, I can definitely feel the pressure with all these people screaming my name. I'm happy with this situation, and like I said, I'm trying to take it in a positive way. So yesterday, I enjoyed that and it was a great emotion to be on the starting grid in front of all these people. Even today, just before departure, hearing the Marseille song made me happy and I tried to relax. So I was mentally ready. When we started the race today it was necessary to accept that I had a machine capable of fighting for victory and that the others had different bikes. Each of them has strengths and weaknesses, but today I had to be over 100%. I think that’s what…
Or maybe I should have accepted finishing 5th, but that wasn't the goal for the weekend and the day. So I don't think the fall was due to added pressure but to the reality of having done the best possible to aim for victory. That's all. I will keep this state of mind because it helps me progress. We were able to see Marc and I think now he controls the race more every weekend. But even when he is in control, he can fall. He saved a fall nicely today. This means that as a driver, it can still be better on my part. Being at this limit, I would soon understand.”
So you wouldn't have taken 5th place?
“After reflection, we say to ourselves that it is always more points, but we have to know how to take responsibility for attacking so much at the limit. When you start in pole position, you want to think about victory. When you are in front, this is the strategy to get it. But there, I had a lot of difficulties and that's what made me reach the limit today. I was undoubtedly at this limit, already since Friday and Saturday, but now, when you are directly confronted with your opponents in the middle of the race, you realize it even more. As I said, if I had waited behind Lorenzo, then when Marc passed me, if I had waited behind him, I would have lost places again. I know this now by profession, because given my driving and the bike, if I wait I lose places. So the option of waiting is not forbidden, but I don't want to take it because otherwise I would never learn. I would fall into a margin and I would never evolve.”
We saw you extremely upset upon arrival. Was it against your bike or against your driving error?
“It’s a mix of both. We are already in such a trance state driving and fighting at over 300 km/h, that it takes more than a few minutes to come down from that state. Of course I was angry and disappointed. Everything was mixed, so that can be understood. We will say that it took perhaps a good hour to analyze all this and accept it.”
It still remains a special weekend, with the relationship with the fans and the pole position yesterday?
“I think it’s a fantastic weekend, either way. A lot is expected of me and I respond almost well to all of that. And all the good performances, especially this Saturday, make us wait even longer. There, for this race, I took a breath and calmed down. Before departure, I felt my heart beating, but calmly. So I was ready. We had made the right choice of tires. With "ifs" we can remake the world but we would probably have had to wait and wait until the bike was easier to ride, and the others probably had a little more difficulty in terms of rhythm. Simply, I was able to think about it during the race but I couldn't apply it because it was too hard. So by keeping a smile, I think we will continue to delight the fans. They will understand that in motorcycle racing not everything happens at the French Grand Prix, and that simply going for victory is the best thing.”
Wasn't there too much pressure?
" No ! You're the one putting the pressure on. But I learned to enjoy these moments. It is perhaps still too early to say if there was pressure, I believe that from the way the whole weekend went, we managed the pressure well, and even at the time of the race, it could be okay. Afterwards, and here only bikers and those who have raced on a motorbike will be able to understand this, losing 40 meters when accelerating does not make the task easy.”
Did you crash because you braked a bit too late?
“Technically, I arrived a bit quickly in the corner and I was a little bit wider than usual. I would have had to straighten the bike and exit the corner. I would then have lost 3 or 4 places and so I still wanted to take the corner. I didn't expect to fall like this. But in the end, we see that the fact of having insisted on taking the turn made me go back to the angle and I fell. So yes, it's a pilot error, and the analysis is to ask yourself why I made this error. I don't remember how many laps we did, but it's simply because I was in "overdrive" and I didn't have the room for maneuver that you need from time to time to be able to manage a race. 40 minutes.
The main difference between your bike and those of the best factories is a power deficit?
“There, yes. Today was surely it. We can complain about the grip, etc., but I think we managed it well. On this track, the Yamaha works very well. Simply, there, with the extra 20 kg of fuel, we have the impression of having…
The bike goes fast, but I think it would have helped me.”
Did your fall in the Warm Up distract you?
“After the crash, it was good to start again with bike number 2 and finish the Warm up with a decent time. It's true that we could say "damn, he was under pressure and he fell twice today", and in the same corner. So, is this destiny? I don't know. What happened in the Warm up was that I was very comfortable knowing Lüthi was slower in the corners. Plus, at that moment, he moved aside and I said to myself “I’m going inside” since that’s my strength. Unfortunately, he didn't see me, and even while talking with him, he told me "it's true that I got bigger but I was surprised when I saw you and we didn't could have been avoided.” So I fell. It's not fun to fall but when you know why, and you know it happens, I don't think it bothered me. But it's true that it's quite curious that on the same day we come across the same bend twice. Who knows… ".
Marc Márquez is more than ever the favorite?
" I think so. I think so. In addition, the championship operation is a dream for him. And we feel that, even on one lap if we can steal a pole position or places on the starting grid, we feel that in terms of pace he is ultimately above it. But above all, I think he manages not to be 100% in the race all the time. And that, frankly, I believe that allows him to maintain a lot of lucidity and control.”
HJC French Grand Prix MotoGP J.3 Ranking
| 1 | 93 | Marc Márquez | Honda | 41'49.773 |
| 2 | 9 | Danilo PETRUCCI | Ducati | +2.310 |
| 3 | 46 | Valentino ROSSI | Yamaha | +5.350 |
| 4 | 43 | Jack Miller | Ducati | +6.314 |
| 5 | 26 | Dani PEDROSA | Honda | +7.419 |
| 6 | 99 | Jorge Lorenzo | Ducati | +10.355 |
| 7 | 25 | Maverick VIÑALES | Yamaha | +23.758 |
| 8 | 35 | Cal Crutchlow | Honda | +25.795 |
| 9 | 41 | Aleix Espargaro | Aprilia | +26.206 |
| 10 | 42 | Alex Rins | Suzuki | +27.937 |
| 11 | 44 | Pol Espargaró | KTM | +32.304 |
| 12 | 55 | Hafiz Syahrin | Yamaha | +34.962 |
| 13 | 21 | Frank MORBIDELLI | Honda | +37.881 |
| 14 | 38 | Bradley SMITH | KTM | +38.299 |
| 15 | 30 | Takaaki NAKAGAMI | Honda | +41.986 |
| 16 | 12 | Thomas LUTHI | Honda | +45.260 |
| 17 | 17 | Karel ABRAHAM | Ducati | +56.872 |
| 18 | 10 | Xavier SIMEON | Ducati | + 1'12.117 |
| Not Classified | ||||
| 45 | Scott REDDING | Aprilia | 17 lapses | |
| 53 | Tito RABAT | Ducati | 17 lapses | |
| 5 | johann zarco | Yamaha | 19 lapses | |
| 4 | Andrea Dovizioso | Ducati | 23 lapses | |
| 19 | Alvaro BAUTISTA | Ducati | 26 lapses | |
| Not Finished 1st Lap | ||||
| 29 | Andrea Iannone | Suzuki | 0 laps |
