It's a subject that the person himself usually only dares to approach in a form of joke, responding that if he won all the races before the final decision, then maybe...
Johann zarco is currently third in the MotoGP world championship behind fabio quartararo et Aleix Espargaró. He is therefore the best placed of the 8 Ducati riders entered by the Italian manufacturer, and for those who object that this situation is only very recent, we will recall that this was already the case during the first half of the 2021 season.
Therefore, even if the Frenchman is not, by definition, Italian and soon has 32 years on his clock, we can wonder why his name is never mentioned in the list of drivers potentially likely to take the second official handlebar of Borgo Panigale alongside Francesco Bagnaia. Johann Zarco, the great forgotten?
That's what they seem to think fabio quartararo who did not hesitate to make it known during the press conference opening the Dutch Grand Prix, following laudatory comments from Johann zarco from his view.
Johann zarco : « What is really impressive about Fabio, apart from the technical side of his riding, is the ability to carry the weight of being world champion and competing for a second title. You have more pressure, just from you: you put more pressure on yourself because you know you can win, so you want to win again. And then everyone expects you to 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 fabio quartararo responded : « As Johann said, neither of us started the season like we did in 2021, but when we came back to Europe, I think we both took a big step forward and we shared a lot of podiums. Of course, if you look at the last five or six races, Johann has always been in the front group fighting for the podium, and of course for me he is the most consistent at Ducati. It would be nice to have the same kind of fight for the championship as in the first half of the 2021 season. And yes, I don't understand why he doesn't go to the factory team (laughs)! »
A great mutual recognition from compatriots who are as friendly as they are efficient!
