On this Sunday, August 23, Johann Zarco answered questions from journalists from Spielberg at the end of a Styrian Grand Prix which he started from the pit lane.
We went to listen (via teleconferencing software) to the comments of the French driver who benefited from a two-part race.
As usual, we report here the words of Johann zarco without the slightest formatting.
Johann zarco : " It was a very good Sunday, better than anyone could have expected. After the warm up, I wondered what I was going to be able to do. I was considering the possibility of doing 10 laps without knowing how my wrist would behave. I wanted it to rain and it didn't happen, but even in the dry, in the end, the race was good. I was lucky there was the red flag. I'm glad we had two races and I think it was good for me to have a little break to rest my wrist. With the adrenaline of the second start, I almost forgot about the pain in my wrist, although it was a bit critical after the 15 laps of the first race. So I was lucky that there were two starts today. The objective of the first race was to gain my rhythm and, little by little, to catch up with the others. I needed five or six laps to catch the penultimate because it seems that the person who was supposed to give me the green flag for my start fell asleep. Because this moment was very long! I waited, and waited, and waited… before he let me go. The first race was therefore to get into rhythm and gradually catch up with the others, while the second was to be able to be strong in the group. And that's my weak point at the moment: I have very good skills and, with my riding style, it gives me an advantage wherever I am, but fighting with others doesn't help me for the moment. I told the team that when we can deal with this weak point, I think I will be able to feel and be very strong. But the fight was good and, in the end, with Fabio, I was stronger on the engine but he was also very strong on braking. It didn't help me to pass him and go away, because I could have been three or four tenths faster in the last three laps. In the end, it's 2 points and that's good, because I really wasn't sure if I could finish the race in the dry. Yesterday my wrist was very sore after a few laps, and this morning also I did four laps in a row and felt pain. I didn't take any painkillers because I wanted to keep the feeling in my wrist. I thought I could control the pain if it came, but it turned out even better since the pain almost completely disappeared with the adrenaline. It was very good. »
Can we say that these were the 2 most difficult points of your career today?
« No, maybe not the hardest, because last year, when I scored 1 or 2 points, I was sometimes destroyed after the race. Now, after the race, I feel great! I'm not super happy because I couldn't overtake Fabio, but finishing a race with this feeling that you could have done better is sometimes positive, because you keep it until the next race. »
Have you imagined what it was possible to do without injury today?
« Without injury would mean that there was no crash, therefore no penalty (laughs), so I would have started from the front row!
No I do not know. On Saturday, I was still surprised to be able to be almost faster than last week even though I had pain in my wrist. And that is interesting. That's why, with what I felt this week on the bike and what I learned from these sensations, I could perhaps leave with a better level on Friday (in Misano) if I maintain this feeling for two weeks. »
How did you feel the first time today going into turn #2?
« The feeling was nothing special but with my bike, I could clearly overtake the guys on the straight, in fifth gear, but on the left! Maybe I could have overtaken three times at this spot, but clearly it gave me pause. So instead of keeping the throttle open, I closed it because otherwise I couldn't lean the bike and it would go too far. So I waited. I overtook, then slowed down in the corner, and the other guy then overtook me when braking, because I had to let up much earlier. So yes, I had the opportunity three times to overtake there, and I took it because we are in a race and when you can overtake generally in a straight line, you don't wait. So I did it, but then when braking I did my best to stay on the left, but then the other one overtook me because I braked very early. »
What makes the Ducati Avintia so competitive this year? Is it you or is it the presence of Ducati engineers?
« It's the combination of both. First there is the Ducati team and more technicians: the equipment is updated as for a satellite team. The team does not need to pull on its parts by doing a lot of kilometers and losing performance. That's probably thanks to my presence, because Dall'Igna said “if we have Johann here, I want things to be done to perfection”. So this perfection allows us to play in the rhythm of the front, because looking at my times and my ability to do quite a bit of 1'24, it could play into the top five, but for the moment the fight with the other drivers in the group wastes too much time. »
Are you aware of having achieved a big success this weekend?
« Especially Saturday, because it was really fantastic. I think it was quite unique to miss Friday and be first in the session from the third or fourth lap, and therefore already qualified for Q2. Afterwards, the times improved but the whole Saturday was exceptional. There, yes, it was a nice way to respond on the track. Today, we will say that it is a little more timid, because it did not make a comeback as we could have imagined, like a Márquez, but the race was still quite solid when analyzing the times. Whether it was the first or second race, it was pretty good. The exceptional side, I would take it to Saturday, and today I am almost surprised to be able to finish the race. I almost left with the idea that I might give up, and I finished with 2 points, so that's pretty good. »
Are we going to have to remove the screw in your wrist?
« No no. I think it's a very small screw that now stays for life, because it's really there to prevent the bone from reopening. And since this scaphoid is a very small bone, I think it will stay there the whole time. In any case, I haven't been told yet that it's going to be removed. I think this will allow this little bone to stay stronger when it has healed properly. There, I have almost no pain, but I'm still on adrenaline so I think the pain will be worse this evening or tomorrow. But I often go to the physiotherapist, and it will be fine. »
Regarding your injury, what recommendations do you have for the next two weeks?
« Compared to the recommendations, I think I clearly overdid it this weekend, but it was hard to decide not to ride. I think it was worth it, both for Saturday and for the 2 points today. But I had a shoot to do on Mont Ventoux for Ducati with mountain bikes, and we canceled it. I was supposed to go to Le Mans next Monday with the Panigale, we also canceled that to really ensure the best possible recovery. The best possible recovery is not to force the wrist, and there, I made an extra start. Now we calm down. »
We saw Gigi Dall'Igna and Paolo Ciabatti in your box today. Did they go to the wrong box?
« (Laughs) Good question. I have to watch the race again. They told me before the race to listen to my feelings and that their doctors were not forcing me to do the race. This morning, during warm up, I told them that I hoped to do 10 laps. I think there was real support and a way of reassuring me by telling me that, if I didn't finish the race, I wouldn't be judged for it. »
Will this weekend make you stronger?
« Without talking about the mental side, everything that happened and the controversies, I only look at the technical side and my feelings on the bike. The fact of having gone fast while being weaker in the right wrist, especially on Saturday, I think that if I analyze it well and my body registers it correctly, it should put me on a good course for the next races . »
Was not being able to ride on Friday ultimately helpful for you to rest a little?
« Yes it's sure. On Friday, I was not allowed to ride since I had to wait 48 hours after the surgical procedure to have the medical check-up. But I saw that the pain had changed enormously during the 48 hours. Saturday, I rode and it was positive because I had less pain than expected, and the same in the race, and the second start gave me such a rush of adrenaline that the pain almost went away. So it was pretty good. But what didn't penalize me by only riding on Saturday was that we had already driven the week: If we arrive at Misano on the first weekend of a Grand Prix and miss the Friday, I think it's hard to make up for Saturday. »
We saw the enthusiasm of Hervé Poncharal after the victory. Do you have a quick word to say to him or a comment to make about Tech3?
« It was beautiful ! We could have had it together. For him, it was only postponed. For me, I loved the team but I told myself that the “KTM + Tech3” bet was really going to push them back several places, since they were well off with Yamaha, with a high-performance bike. But after the step that KTM did this year, and Oliveira who fought to have the official bike but didn't get it this year, we saw that they were riding well. There, I definitely wouldn't have bet that Tech3 could win with the KTM this year, but I'm very happy for them, for the whole team, because they are my friends. And for Oliveira, it's beautiful: 900th Grand Prix, first Portuguese to win, first victory for Tech3... But I'm not unhappy not to have won, because I didn't like the color of the car (laughs)! »
Standings for the Styrian MotoGP Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring:
Classification credit: MotoGP.com
