MotoGP Aragón J2 Debriefing Johann Zarco (Ducati/10): “I was very angry! ", etc. (Entirety)

This Saturday September 11, 2021, John Zarco answered questions from journalists from the Motorland Aragón circuit, at the end of the second day of the MotoGP Aragón Grand Prix during which the Pramac rider qualified in 10th position.

We went to listen (via teleconferencing software) to the words of the French driver who is in 3rd place in the championship.

As usual, we report here the words of John Zarco without the slightest formatting, even if it is partially translated (vouvoiement in English, tutoiement in French).

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Johann zarco : " I'm disappointed and angry about qualifying because I completely missed the last outing with the new tire! Same as at Silverstone: I didn't want to take anyone and I didn't have a good wheel, and I made a mistake on the only lap where I was able to attack. So I was very angry about that because it was exactly the same mistake as in qualifying at Silverstone, when I had the potential to be on the second row and I missed it. So my first feeling was anger, a lot of anger, then (I took into account that) in FP4 and going into Q1 and the start of Q2, we found a certain feeling again. This afternoon, I had fun on the bike because things became quite good for me, and that's why I have to be satisfied and think about tomorrow to improve this feeling which has returned. I just missed the last outing and maybe lost four places in qualifying, but if I just think about this feeling we got back, I just have to think about tomorrow and stay very focused to use this anger in the race tomorrow. »

How to avoid this problem of playing everything in one round in qualifying?
« Regarding the strategy, I almost came out at the same time as Fabio, and there was also Jorge Martín and Marc Márquez. Martín immediately slowed down and I was a little far from Fabio, so in the time it took for me to take him as a reference, Marc really used me a lot to set a good time. But I didn't want to, so I started to slow down, but as he is a specialist in this exercise of slowing down a lot and at the last moment he can be very fast from the first turn, even if the tire is not completely ready. I'm not as good at this type of exercise, and I need two turns to get that feeling of confidence back. And even Martín, as he waited a bit during his last outing, he didn't have a good feeling either and didn't improve his time. It's like this: I didn't come out at the right time and in the end I didn't do a good job. I missed this, a mistake can happen, the most important thing is tomorrow but the most important thing is tomorrow, so I'm OK. »

Do you still have pain in your forearm, and if so, does this explain your day today?
« No ! The good thing about Aragón is that the forearm doesn't suffer, so I'm happy not to suffer from that and feel that my sensation was good. I can still hold on. How long, I don't know, but I can still hold on. There, without doubt, the circuit lends itself better and therefore I ride without pain in my forearms, and that is already a good thing. But no, the lack of performance on the day, and it's the same in FP3 where it doesn't matter much, 4 tenths and I'm 11th and they say it's a bad day, you have to know how to put it into perspective and tell yourself that no, it's not a bad day. In the afternoon, the feeling was much better: we touched up some interesting things in terms of feeling. I had an easier time on the bike, more fun, less struggle, and I went faster! So it bodes well for the race. »

In your opinion, are the Ducatis favorites for the race?
« It's true that Miller attacked really well, he confirmed another great round, and Bagnaia had the confidence he looks for every time. It's almost an apotheosis, because given the time I would almost go as far as to say that it's a feeling of apotheosis and good chemistry with the bike. Even Marc Márquez, his bike is working well and there is Martín behind: It can make the job difficult for Fabio, and it is clear that at the engine level we have this advantage. So are they favorites? Hard to say because the race is long, and because I think Mir can be very strong too. But yes, at the start of the race we will have the advantage. That’s almost certain! »

What is your goal tomorrow?
« I would love to get back into the top six! That would be a good thing. So I hope to be able to quickly reach these places and stay in rhythm. Afterwards, the tire will deteriorate from the first to the last lap but I think it will be very progressive. Well, very degressive rather. We will have to see how we manage to keep up with the tire which is deteriorating. That's a bit of the question mark for tomorrow, but this FP4 has already made me more comfortable than I was. »

Apart from the last section with the straights, what is the Ducati's strong point here?
« It's hard to say, but we still have great confidence going forward. Even though I find it sometimes not easy to take it and turn it well, it has an ultra secure front end at full angle, and it still does well in fast corners, like turn two, the turn three, or after turn 10 and 13. So there is this advantage of still having a very safe front, and that allows you to go through curves really well. And then this engine which helps for the last part: It's true that it's good when you want to overtake! »

Have you chosen your rear tire? Can the soft tire last the race?
« I believe that there are many who have moved towards the soft, and we think that it can make the race because there is a real difference in the time. So even if at some point it can deteriorate further, we say to ourselves that by being much faster… (we still gain). Or we do the whole race in 49.5, or maybe we have 15 laps in 48 something and the last few laps in 49.5. So it's more efficient to do that. So yes, I think there are a lot of people who are thinking about taking the soft to do this style of racing, because the others (tyres) lack performance. »

How do you degrade your tires compared to other Ducati riders?
« Not better ! Not better, because we are very similar in tire wear in the post-race data. On the Yamaha, yes, I had that effect but it was a completely different style. Non. It's something to see in the race: It's really hard because we don't have time to prepare for it before the race, because we always have to manage to perform well in each session so as not to be outside of qualifying, otherwise it's even harder, and that leaves you little time to properly analyze each tire and put 20 laps on each. »

 

Ranking of Qualification 2 of the Aragón MotoGP Grand Prix:

Ranking of Qualification 1 of the Aragón MotoGP Grand Prix:

Classification credit: MotoGP.com