This Thursday June 23, 2022, Johann zarco answered questions from journalists from the TT Circuit Assen ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix.
By finishing 2nd in Germany, the French rider took 3rd place in the MotoGP world championship in a summer break event.
As usual, we report here the words of Johann zarco without the slightest formatting, even if it is partially translated (vouvoiement in English, tutoiement in French).
What are your thoughts on the first 10 races of the season?
John Zarco: “I'm happy with how it's going for me, this first half, because I didn't start as well as I started the 21 season with two consecutive podiums in Qatar last year. But I try to concentrate on each weekend, give as much energy as I can, and try to control this Ducati bike well. The 2022 bike is sometimes a little more difficult to prepare, so the races sometimes become a little more difficult, but the results have come in the last races and just for that I am really happy. »
Were you impressed by Quartararo's speed and consistency?
“What is quite impressive about Fabio, apart from the simple technical side of driving, is his ability to carry the weight of being world champion and having to go for the second title. You have a lot of pressure, just from yourself, you put more pressure on yourself because you know you can win, so you want to win again, and then all the people are asking you, and waiting for you to take the win . And now he's doing it, so it's very impressive to have this maturity to control the championship the way he does. Furthermore, I was able to see very well in Catalonia, and even more so at the Sachsenring, the pace he had in difficult conditions, when it was very hot and all the drivers were struggling with the tire: he has a speed that you can keep up at first then there is a point where you have to slow down because you can't keep that pace. And it seems easy for him! What he does is the beautiful thing about this period, what all pilots want, but not all can. »
What do you think about completing this 5-4-3-2-… series of results this weekend?
“It’s easier said than done, but why not? It would be so fantastic to follow this logic. I think the delicate weather we may have this weekend can help me save energy physically. With the wet tires I enjoy the bike even more because you need less force to bring the bike into the corner, so for me tricky conditions can be great to follow this logic. We will see. Moreover, if we know that it is going to rain during the FP2 and FP3 sessions, it will be a kind of strategy to push from FP1 to already be qualified for Q2. In the end, the weekend remains the same: go straight to Q2 to prepare well for qualifying, and then be on the front row, because every time you start on the front row, it gives you a greater chance of getting on the podium . So, we'll see how it goes. Also, with this new fairing on the Ducati, in that place where there is a fast chicane, I think the fairing can help compared to last year. And if we just have this better feeling, I can be competitive. »
Does Mandalika's podium in the wet give you confidence if the weather is wet on Sunday?
« Yes. Mandalika was a special race: big, big rain, but so hot. If we have rain this weekend it will be quite cold, so it's a different story with the tires and the feeling on the track. But, we had the biggest rain session in Portugal and I felt good. I like these conditions and the way they allow me to feel the bike well, without using body strength, and that's why I almost appreciate them more. »
Are you about to re-sign or have you agreed? Are you excited to continue with Ducati after the mutual faith in 2020?
« We have a very good relationship, above all because I am the only one to speak to them, without any manager, since I have had my own story and I am old enough to speak to them directly. They know how I think, they know that the chance to stay at Ducati is the best thing for me to build results and go all the way to victory. And having a factory Ducati in the Pramac team is already something very good for me, so continuing with Ducati, even if it's not signed, it's just words but it's almost 100% sure. . It would be a bad surprise not to have a contract. Then, I think they know more or less all the riders who will be at Ducati, but they are not yet 100% sure who to put. Jokingly, I told Ciabatti and Dall'Igna that if they were hesitating between an Italian and a Spaniard, they could aim in the middle and take the Frenchman (laughs). It's like they agree but they have a lot of things to consider. Knowing that I feel very good at Pramac, and there are also the relations with Campinoti: when a satellite team with a factory bike has good results like we do, it's very good for a satellite team. They have their own sponsors and they can have more support from their sponsors if they have a good driver. Sometimes when the good rider goes to the factory team, they have to rebuild something with someone else. From this point of view it can be good to stay with Pramac, and on the other hand, that of the prestige of the factory team, if I win races and am a title contender, then it would be even better to be in the factory team. But we never know. »
Fans sometimes ask for a change to the program, with a sprint race for qualifying, or points given in qualifying. What do you think ?
« The sprint race is a great spectacle but MotoGP is so intense at the moment that I can't see myself doing a race on Saturday and being ready for Sunday. Maybe a Superpole could be a spectacle that would be good to watch, because it's pure speed during a lap, without anyone helping or following anyone. This could be an idea for MotoGP, better than a sprint race in my opinion. Then the way we do the races is quite interesting: compared to F1, we have a 40 minute race instead of an hour and a half, and that keeps people a little more awake in front of the TV, and that is very important. But maybe even if we had a shorter race, 30 minutes, why not? It depends on the weekend because after 40 minutes at the Sachsenring there were already quite big gaps between the drivers and that can be annoying for people watching TV. But for an athlete who gives his best energy in the race, this is very interesting because you can work well during the tests, try everything possible to be as fast as possible, but then the race is another story. And when you put it all together, and you're fast enough to be up front with Fabio and able to work for the race, it's the perfect combination. If you understand that you have to build the race weekend that way, it becomes interesting, but if it's just for show, then clearly we can move some things around. »
The public is back in Assen. Can you see it while driving, and what does it do to you?
« I was able to see the grandstand while walking this afternoon. Almost the most beautiful place on the circuit is turn 15 then the last chicane. To be honest, when I enter the last chicane, I don't take the time to look at the spectators, but here in Assen, while cycling, I could see that there were already full campsites quite far from the circuit: 10 km from here, there are already a lot of campsites with people in them. So that means it will be full, and here in Assen, even more than the grandstand, there are the little grass hills that turn from green to black when people arrive. This changes the view, especially from Saturday to Sunday because there are more people on Sunday, and that changes the view. »
Do you feel less pressure than before, especially last year when you are once again the highest placed Ducati rider?
« No, not bad pressure because the weekends are very intense and I'm really focused to perform every day, and as long as I perform well, I get good results. And as I said, because I feel very good with the Pramac team, everyone knows that the factory team is a step towards a kind of dream, and they know my position very well, so I have no pressure. I said it at the start of the year, I hope that the results are good enough for us to continue together and that I am well taken into consideration, and I can say that they do it very well, so I don't have bad feelings or negative thoughts with everything you see. »
Do you think that now with its new fairing, the GP22 is at its highest level?
« GP 22 is at an impressive level when you see the times we can do in qualifying, and the way Pecco drives it is truly incredible. I think it's really the best performance you can see from the bike and a rider, from the whole combination. But maybe, as I sometimes say, she's a little sensitive sometimes. This sensitivity may be a reason for Pecco's downfall: he can go very fast but if everything is not really perfect, you can have some kind of surprise. And sometimes this surprise costs a lot because Pecco has completely lost the race at that moment. Maybe that's why I'm not relaxed enough, to avoid this kind of surprise. But when you want to avoid it, you lose speed. It really is a difficult balance. »
Why were you so tired after the race at Sachsenring?
« Maybe because we have 10 years of difference (with Fabio) (laughs). No, it comes, at the moment, from my style of driving this way. I would like to be more relaxed to enjoy the race more, but for the moments the results come that way. If I relax a little too much, I no longer have the speed, and the objective is to have the speed, even if I suffer a little or a lot. You then have time to recover. It's difficult to manage but I really try to train as best as possible and always be ready. Maybe, I hope, I will have a second wind in the second part of the season after a good five-week break by managing my physical condition well. I'll see, I can't predict anything at all.
At Sachsenring, I think like the other drivers: We couldn't really see it during the race but the heat destroyed us more than we could see. It was really hot, it was windy, and if you don't do anything, you're like, "OK, it's hot." But when the race was over, just the time to properly recover was a sign that it was probably too hot. »
