The main press conference ahead of the 2023 MotoGP Americas Grand Prix in Austin hosted Marco Bezzecchi, Francis Bagnaia et Johann zarco.
The Pramac driver finished 4th in the Portuguese Grand Prix by overtaking four drivers in the last two laps, then 2nd in South America. We are therefore very impatient to see what the third in the championship will do this weekend…
As usual, we report here the words of Johann zarco without any formatting, even if it is translated from English.
Johann, what we saw at Portimão and Termas, two circuits with completely different conditions, is that your speed in the final laps was probably better than anyone else's. There is clearly room for improvement in the first half of the race. I'm sure you've had this discussion with yourself and the team. Do you have some ideas for the rest of the season? How could you be a little more competitive in the early rounds?
Johann zarco : " It's a way of riding the motorcycle. It seems that the way I ride the bike at the end of the race, when the others have less grip, gives me an advantage. But when the tires are fresh enough, I have a shortage. It's not much, a few tenths, but when everyone around me is fast, it's very difficult to fight. It's also very difficult to fight even though the starts were much better than last year, and that was helpful even though I wasn't able to fight very well at the start of the race, but I didn't no time wasted at the start and in the first corner. We can't say we have to change everything and we always talk about feeling. So I have to try to get that pure feeling that will help me do what I want when I want. »
No Marc Márquez this weekend, nor Bastianini, two guys who have been incredibly fast on this circuit. We wish them both a good recovery. The fact that these two men are not here this weekend, does that make things less difficult or a little easier in some ways?
« The pressure is not less because we are all competitive. It is clear that without Marc it is almost certain that there will be more place on the podium or in the top 5, because even if he had an injury he could have fought for the podium. So we can say that there is perhaps one more chance of being on the podium, but not less pressure because everyone is very fast. »
We know it's too early to think about the championship, but will you follow your instincts or use your brain?
« I mean I still have progress to make. I'm in a good position in the championship and if, at the end of the weekend, I'm still in this position with more points or even better, that's the ideal situation. But if you lose a position, it's not a tragedy because there are 38 races left and there will be 36 at the end of the weekend. We have a lot to do, so it's too early to ask that question. »
What do you think of the new format, especially on Saturday with qualifying and Sprint races?
« The Sprint race is very interesting to prepare for the rest of Sunday: We gather a lot of information and we have the pleasure of fighting with the others. When you have the power to fight, you have more fun and that's great. It's true that with Saturday, you have to concentrate on doing a good qualification and then change your mindset and be ready for the race. It's asking a lot and that's good. It's good to change that to have more spectacle and it's true that we also, as drivers, on the sporting side, appreciate it a lot.
Something a little bad: They also ask for more on the sides of the track and they sometimes forget that you have to concentrate to race at more than 300 kilometers per hour, like on Saturday morning where now it It will be mandatory to go see the fans 15 minutes before going on the bike. And I don't agree with that, and because it's mandatory, we may have penalties if we don't do it. But we have to remember that even if we have FP3 in the morning, it's a free practice but it's a bike that goes over 300 km/h and on tracks that are sometimes difficult to control, like here at Austin, where it is the most difficult track of the year. So you have to think twice about putting on the show. We do it on the bike, but next to it we need time to concentrate, so imposing something on ourselves 15 minutes before getting on the bike, maybe that's the reason why there is more stress , more accidents, more injuries and fewer drivers on the track. »
You say that the Sprint race helps you prepare for the Sunday race? Can you explain this? What type of information?
“What is good is this concentration that you must have to start and also to fight with the others, since you never have the opportunity during the tests to be with all the others and that everyone is pushing to the limit. Because when you do it, you can follow someone during testing, but you don't know if the tire has more turns, or less turns. Now it's really a race and it's a real weekend situation for me, and having a taste of what the real situation is already on Saturday helps a lot for Sunday, because you could maybe -maybe make a few mistakes but you could still get a good lap time over the weekend and then you'd see what happened on Sunday and sometimes it was too late. So I feel like even if you miss the Sprint race, you learn something from it for Sunday. »
What has changed in the box with Gino Borsoi?
« The good thing about Gino is that he spent many years with Aspar, and Aspar fought for the title almost every year, and that's what I also felt with Aki Ajo in 125 and in Moto2. This means that he tries to ensure that everyone in the box is very focused on the details and does not forget anything to aim for the title. He has this kind of programming because he's used to doing it with Aspar. So he brings a higher level and it's good because there are so many things to do in Moto GP, for a team director too, that sometimes we can forget the basics: why are we here? We are here to race and try to win. Almost every team needs to think about this. It's good to get back to base with him, and that's also what I can do with Massimo, my team leader. And I think the whole team is happy to have him: Even if he's small (laughs), he's a leader, he's a real leader! So we forget that it is small. That's a good thing (laughs).
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