It was known in the paddock, but until now Johann Zarco had not spoken publicly about it: The Pramac driver suffered from compartment syndrome this year, in Austria and at Silverstone.
Although reluctant at first, he is now considering surgery to resolve this problem which sometimes paralyzes his right arm.
This should take place either at the end of the season, between Austin and Misano 2.
Johann zarco explained during his debriefing in Aragón: “In Austria and at Silverstone I had this problem of compartment syndrome. I've often said that if I felt good on the bike I wouldn't have compartment syndrome, but we're reaching a level where it seems like you have no other option than to have compartment syndrome. to be quick. This makes me think about the operation but I can't have it yet. Today I had no pain at all and had a good performance, but to start trying to diagnose this kind of problem is that it now seems to be part of our sport: We're reaching a level where if you want to fight, yes it's physically hard but if you want to have this operation it's like doping. Maybe I will open my potential to another level and then I will feel even better. Fabio is a good example: He quickly did this kind of operation. For me, maybe it was too fast because he hadn't had time to adapt well to the bike, but in the end he's the one who wins the races, so maybe he's the one who thought about it the least, who did the operation well and who is perhaps the easiest bike. »
The Pramac pilot specifies: “There is a point where there is a bodily limit. At Silverstone, because I struggled more than here, the problem was more present. But if you make everything perfect so you don't suffer, you can't perform for 20 races. That's why now I think about it and accept it more: Maybe I should take this step if I want to perform at the same level and even better next year. »
Johann zarco complete: “We have better acceleration, we can brake really hard and slow down a lot, but if you do it really loose you don't put the bike anywhere. Only Pecco can do it, and Marc Márquez who, I think, didn't have this compartment syndrome operation. There are almost only the two of them out of 20 pilots. That's why I didn't want to do it and why I'm still thinking about it, but I see that if I want to be competitive with my style, I probably have to agree to do it. I have two choices: It could be at the end of the season or during the break between Austin and Misano. It will depend on whether I suffer a lot in Austin. I will see. I still believe I can control it, and that's why here would say I'm normal, but I want to do things well and have enough time for recovery. Two weeks after Austin can be enough to recover because some drivers have done it in just one week, but it's something where if you don't recover enough, it's not like the wrist, there can be oozing of liquid. Personally, I am always careful and listen to my body. That's why I want to do it intelligently. If I'm really in crisis after Austin and the diagnosis is positive for compartment syndrome, it would be good to do it to finish the last three races and get some feeling back after the operation. I think if I do it in winter the break will be too long before the Sepang test. I'll tell everyone how it goes. For now, I accept that this could happen, and it seems that just by accepting it works better for this weekend. I'm talking about the right arm, which brakes and accelerates, and which is used the most. »
