On the occasion of this Spanish Grand Prix, we are perpetuating 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…
It hasn't been the easiest weekend in terms of speed, but you get your 8th consecutive front row. How did you manage this quick turn?
Johann zarco : “Since Friday, everything was going well and I felt good on the bike since I could control the sessions well to be at least in the top 10. But in FP4, as the temperatures started to rise and it was rather hot , we encountered problems. We did a lot of laps and it was not easy to ride the bike. In qualifying, it was not easy to have a good feeling like on Friday or Saturday morning. So I asked myself what I could do, but I felt strong points on the bike and weak points. During the last 2 laps, I really tried with the medium tire, which for me is the one that works best, to do even more. And I'm happy because I found new limits on the bike. And thanks to that, I got 3rd position, which I think is very important for tomorrow.”
The Hondas appear strong and, generally speaking, the times of the first 15 are close. Do you have a realistic forecast for tomorrow? The top 5?
“I will start the race thinking of a podium because it is the most beautiful place you can be on Sunday. But it's true that the Hondas have a rather fast pace, better than me. But with the information we gathered in FP4 and also what we learned in qualifying, maybe we can find some settings and choose the right tires for the race.”
What are the problems encountered on the M1 when temperatures rise?
“I think it's the same problem as everyone else, but maybe we suffer more. We lose a lot of grip at the maximum angle. And since I think the Yamaha is a good full-angle bike in the corners, if you lose grip you run into a lot of problems. For me, it was this problem in FP4 and a little in qualifying, and I think it can also be the same thing for the other M1s.
Are you going to use the medium tires tomorrow?
" Yes. I think we will use at least the medium tyres. Front and back. If it's hot and we have more information, I haven't tried the hard tire, and that's why it's complicated to say if I'll leave with the hard tire tomorrow, but for the moment the soft n is not a possible choice for the race. With high temperatures it does not work well enough. For me the front tire is good and we will see after 25 laps. For the rear, there isn't much difference between medium and hard, so if I feel good on medium, that may be the best fit. It’s only about the future that I can have some doubts.”
Do you think your technical team will be able to make you a competitive bike for tomorrow?
" I hope ! Either way, we're doing a good job and we're constantly progressing together, so the fact of having had difficulties in FP4 is almost an advantage because we know that at least that, it you shouldn’t do it.”
Your signing with KTM is something that gets a lot of talk. Is this bothering you a little this weekend or absolutely not?
" No not at all ! In any case, it was to be expected: given the current results, I will be criticized for this choice. But I am inside this paddock and on the bike, and my feelings mean that I chose KTM. So no, I have enough maturity to distance myself from all these comments.”
The fact that you are at the top of the qualifying rankings, is it anecdotal or is it important?
“No, it’s cool!” It's cool because winning the BMW is great, it's a huge gift. I'm not yet a driver who earns millions and can drive a Lamborghini or a Ferrari every day. So I really take it as a very nice gift, but we are only in the 4th race, so there is still a long way to go.”
Does this mean that you have mastered the qualification technique?
“Yes, I still believe that we are in a good situation to be able to say yes. We must continue like this, improving the quality of the race to be on the podium much more often. And it’s by having a lot of podiums that I will obtain victories.”
What did FP4 teach you, at a time that will be that of the race?
“We always know it, but what I was able to learn is that as soon as you exceed a certain temperature, the bike no longer works the same at all. But ultimately it's because of the tires, so in my opinion tire choice is important. But on the other hand I'm happy because we feel that there is a logic in the choice of tires: the hotter it is, the more hardness we can increase. We will say that this simplifies the problem. The poor performance of the FP4 was simply because I had a soft compound with a lot of revs, and it was really a choice on our part to insist on that.”
Are you thinking of doing a hard front tire test tomorrow morning at Warm Up?
" No. I think the best information is almost that of the other drivers. For my part, at the Warm up we will see the conditions, but ride rather quickly and comfortably, and gain confidence for the race, even if the tires will be different from those I will use in the race.
Valentino Rossi followed you this morning and we asked him what he thought of your style. He said you wear less tires because you are smaller and lighter. Do you agree with this analysis?
“If God says so (laughs), yes! It's true that I use the tires less, but the driving is evolving and I see that I am more and more insistent on it. Maybe it’s a sign of progress.”
It will be very hot tomorrow, and it should be windy. How do you approach the race in relation to this element?
“Simply looking at the direction of the wind during the day, we will say that it forces you, once you know which way it is going, to not worry if, for example, you have problems in certain turns. It's because of the wind, it can push you or slow you down. But as I feel good on the bike, I will be able to play with it and go slower in the corners where he will be against, and maybe place faster where he can help.
Are you going to use a particular strategy tomorrow?
“Already, starting 3rd is lucky. I know Pedrosa will be very quick in terms of pace. So I'll see. I will try to control the aggression to perhaps find the best rhythm and maintain this rhythm until the end of the race. If I take the right way of riding and relaxation, I hope I can be on the podium.”
Pit Beirer told us that it's not you who should adapt to the KTM but that it should be the KTM that adapts to you. It's quite nice, isn't it?
“Yes, yes, it’s very good!” Anyway, I have a great rhythm at the moment, and the way I live and work is to keep this rhythm as long as possible and continue to progress. I haven't finished progressing, so I will still be progressing when I arrive in this team and we will have to go there together. I can’t say that the bike adapts to me that I adapt to the bike, it’s a couple and the couple has to be good.”
Jerez MotoGP J.2: Chronos
| 1 | 35 | Cal Crutchlow | Honda | 1'37.653 | |||
| 2 | 26 | Dani PEDROSA | Honda | 1'37.912 | 0.259 | 0.259 | |
| 3 | 5 | johann zarco | Yamaha | 1'37.956 | 0.303 | 0.044 | |
| 4 | 99 | Jorge Lorenzo | Ducati | 1'37.969 | 0.316 | 0.013 | |
| 5 | 93 | Marc Márquez | Honda | 1'37.977 | 0.324 | 0.008 | |
| 6 | 42 | Alex Rins | Suzuki | 1'37.984 | 0.331 | 0.007 | |
| 7 | 29 | Andrea Iannone | Suzuki | 1'37.987 | 0.334 | 0.003 | |
| 8 | 4 | Andrea Dovizioso | Ducati | 1'38.029 | 0.376 | 0.042 | |
| 9 | 9 | Danilo PETRUCCI | Ducati | 1'38.086 | 0.433 | 0.057 | |
| 10 | 46 | Valentino ROSSI | Yamaha | 1'38.267 | 0.614 | 0.181 | |
| 11 | 25 | Maverick VIÑALES | Yamaha | 1'38.281 | 0.628 | 0.014 | |
| 12 | 43 | Jack Miller | Ducati | 1'38.522 | 0.869 | 0.241 | |
| Q1 Results: | |||||||
| Q2 | 4 | Andrea Dovizioso | Ducati | 1'38.074 | |||
| Q2 | 25 | Maverick VIÑALES | Yamaha | 1'38.349 | 0.275 | 0.275 | |
| 13 | 41 | Aleix Espargaro | Aprilia | 1'38.389 | 0.315 | 0.040 | |
| 14 | 30 | Takaaki NAKAGAMI | Honda | 1'38.481 | 0.407 | 0.092 | |
| 15 | 21 | Frank MORBIDELLI | Honda | 1'38.544 | 0.470 | 0.063 | |
| 16 | 44 | Pol Espargaró | KTM | 1'38.598 | 0.524 | 0.054 | |
| 17 | 53 | Tito RABAT | Ducati | 1'38.610 | 0.536 | 0.012 | |
| 18 | 12 | Thomas LUTHI | Honda | 1'38.752 | 0.678 | 0.142 | |
| 19 | 36 | Mika Kallio | KTM | 1'38.759 | 0.685 | 0.007 | |
| 20 | 19 | Alvaro BAUTISTA | Ducati | 1'38.838 | 0.764 | 0.079 | |
| 21 | 38 | Bradley SMITH | KTM | 1'38.961 | 0.887 | 0.123 | |
| 22 | 55 | Hafiz Syahrin | Yamaha | 1'39.135 | 1.061 | 0.174 | |
| 23 | 17 | Karel ABRAHAM | Ducati | 1'39.146 | 1.072 | 0.011 | |
| 24 | 10 | Xavier SIMEON | Ducati | 1'39.708 | 1.634 | 0.562 | |
| 25 | 45 | Scott REDDING | Aprilia | 1'39.918 | 1.844 | 0.210 |
