Eleventh during the Sepang tests, 0.4 behind Maverick Vinales, but 0.005 behind Jorge Lorenzo, the double Moto2 World Champion was cautiously classified fifteenth at Phillip Island at 1.1. During the last preliminary tests at Losail, he obtained tenth place at 0.5.
For Johann, all the pre-season tests were generally positive and he proved he has his place in MotoGP. Zarco got used to this category quite quickly, which was not obvious if we take the example of his Moto2 predecessor Tito Rabat.
For Johann, “My first MotoGP race is fast approaching, and I'm looking forward to it, especially after the positive test we had at this circuit with the team recently. We were able to record valuable information, which we will use to give our best this weekend.
“Of course I still have things to learn, but the work we have put in so far has been productive and I hope to get a good result under the checkered flag this Sunday. I also hope that we will benefit from good conditions under the lights, so as not to be interrupted in our program and to be able to attack.
“We'll see how it goes but I'll be focused and try to do the best I can. I think getting a good result is within my possibilities. »
For his team manager Hervé Poncharal, who are " the winter testing season is finally over. We can look back and say it was intense but very positive for the Monster Yamaha Tech3 team. Clearly, Johann Zarco and Jonas Folger exceeded expectations because not only did they have to learn motorcycling as rookies, but they spent a lot of time in the top ten, sometimes even better than that, and both were always one second from the fastest lap. Everyone on our team is really happy with how the testing went.
“Yamaha has done a great job with providing top-level machines and if you are a rookie coming into the MotoGP class, getting on the YZR-M1 gives you a great advantage. Regarding the event, we have to be careful because the racing conditions are difficult in Qatar, it is often cold and there can be humidity. We must remain modest and work hard to prove to our partners that they were right to trust us. »
