On the sidelines of the official press conference to which Johann Zarco was invited after the Argentine Grand Prix (see here), the French driver did not fail to give his usual debriefing in the hospitality of the Tech3 team.
As usual, we report here our translation of the entirety of the words of Johann zarco, without journalistic formatting or distortion.
Johann, after the way the weekend started, do you expect to be able to fight for victory until the last lap?
Johann zarco : “Throughout the entire weekend, I crossed my fingers that I would be able to fight for victory. And with these difficult conditions, yes, I hoped to be able to stay with the best drivers to be on the podium. Compared to Marc, maybe in the wet I had a better chance of winning. He was much stronger in the dry but he had a complicated race, which was a good thing for me and for all the drivers. The moment he came through the pit lane, I thought it was possible to win. So I stayed focused for that and on the last lap I was close but I see now that Cal was easier than me and he managed the race better. So 2nd is already fantastic after a stressful Sunday.”
During the last lap, you decided to stay behind where you were already at the limit?
“I was at the limit on the last lap, and already when I was following Jack and Alex, I was not able to be very comfortable behind them, and then overtake them. So when I was 3rd, I gave my maximum, when I was 2nd also, and when I led the race for just 2 laps, I couldn't give more. I was 100% from start to finish, and that’s why I’m a little tired now.”
Is leading a race again a fantastic feeling?
“It's a good thing, but above all it's just a fantastic feeling to finish 2nd. I'm happy to finish 2nd and to be the first Yamaha today, but 2nd place and 20 points is what makes me the happiest.”
You look very tired. Is it because you struggled a bit with your bike?
“I struggled during this Argentine Grand Prix because on Friday in the dry, I was missing something on the bike. I wasn't completely relaxed. Then we tried different things that I think helped me stay with the lead guys, but it wasn't enough progress to be easy. It was enough to be 2nd, and I’m happy with what I have.”
If you had been in Jack Miller's position, would you have agreed with the commissioners' decision?
" Difficult. He was the only one who was ready with the slicks, so in the event of a normal start it might have been a big advantage to win the race. But this did not happen and as everyone entered the pit lane, the race management could not accept that everyone left the pit lane as this could pose a safety problem. It could have been a frustrating moment for him.”
Find all of Johann Zarco’s debriefings here
