Johann Zarco finished penultimate of the four KTM riders in an important Austrian Grand Prix for the Mattighofen manufacturer. A sixteenth place on the starting grid less brilliant than the eleventh of that of his teammate Pol Espargaró and all the less rewarding since, in front, is the RC16 satellite of the Tech3 team driven by Oliveira. The latter has as chief mechanic that the Frenchman knows well in the person of Guy Coulon. So he went to intelligence. This is what came out…
Do not be fooled by appearances. Johann zarco, despite his position on the starting grid and the fact that he was beaten by Olive tree on the RC16 at the end of qualifying Austrian Grand Prix does not overshadow the official's mood KTM. We can even say that the Frenchman was not unhappy with his performance on Saturday at the Red Bull Ring.
The double Moto2 World Champion explains: “ maybe it would have been possible to enter Q2, because the times are very close. But I do my best. I couldn't drive faster than this 1'24.3 min on Saturday. As far as consistency goes, we've done a good job ».
« It was a good day and I did a lot of laps. It was good because we were able to make up for the unfortunate technical problem on Friday, which had escaped us,” added the Frenchman. “The last lap of Q1 was interesting because I had Bagnaia in front of me. He got better, so did I, but I couldn't get close enough to him. Nevertheless, I was able to see its strengths and weaknesses and provide information to the team ».
The test pilot Dani Pedrosa helps the KTM riders on site in the pits. “ He listens to our comments, so he can compare our impressions with his own. He takes care of development, in the long term. I have enough people around me » declared the 29-year-old pilot. “ I analyze with Jean-Michel Bayle, he records videos to see everything that can be improved ».
Until now, Miguel Oliveira posted a strong performance at Spielberg: On Friday, the Tech3-KTM rider finished seventh. In Q1, he missed access to Q2 by finishing third. “ I know what he does. He has been able to work steadily for a few races now. It's fresh in the head to adapt to the bike. That's why it's better for him. I also spoke to his team leader, Guy Coulon. They really try to keep the bike consistent and take the time to adjust. I haven't because we're really pushing and trying to change things to open new doors. It's not the same job, but at present the way of working has advantages Says zarco.
What are Johann's goals with the KTM factory team? “ The goal is to have the ability to be faster. Right now I’m not that far – and I’m not falling. So things are under control, all that's missing is speed ».
MotoGP Austria Red Bull Ring J2: times
| 1 | 93 | Marc MÁRQUEZ | Honda | 1'23.027 | ||
| 2 | 20 | Fabio QUARTARARO | Yamaha | 1'23.461 | 0.434 | 0.434 |
| 3 | 4 | Andrea Dovizioso | Ducati | 1'23.515 | 0.488 | 0.054 |
| 4 | 12 | Maverick VIÑALES | Yamaha | 1'23.523 | 0.496 | 0.008 |
| 5 | 63 | Francesco Bagnaia | Ducati | 1'23.652 | 0.625 | 0.129 |
| 6 | 30 | Takaaki NAKAGAMI | Honda | 1'23.669 | 0.642 | 0.017 |
| 7 | 42 | Alex RINS | Suzuki | 1'23.681 | 0.654 | 0.012 |
| 8 | 43 | Jack Miller | Ducati | 1'23.688 | 0.661 | 0.007 |
| 9 | 35 | Cal Crutchlow | Honda | 1'23.754 | 0.727 | 0.066 |
| 10 | 46 | Valentino ROSSI | Yamaha | 1'23.817 | 0.790 | 0.063 |
| 11 | 44 | Pol ESPARGARÓ | KTM | 1'23.866 | 0.839 | 0.049 |
| 12 | 9 | Danilo PETRUCCI | Ducati | 1'23.964 | 0.937 | 0.098 |
| Q1 Results: | ||||||
| Q2 | 35 | Cal Crutchlow | Honda | 1'23.829 | ||
| Q2 | 63 | Francesco Bagnaia | Ducati | 1'23.928 | 0.099 | 0.099 |
| 13 | 88 | Miguel OLIVEIRA | KTM | 1'24.130 | 0.301 | 0.202 |
| 14 | 21 | Frank MORBIDELLI | Yamaha | 1'24.270 | 0.441 | 0.140 |
| 15 | 53 | Tito RABAT | Ducati | 1'24.389 | 0.560 | 0.119 |
| 16 | 5 | johann zarco | KTM | 1'24.392 | 0.563 | 0.003 |
| 17 | 17 | Karel ABRAHAM | Ducati | 1'24.423 | 0.594 | 0.031 |
| 18 | 29 | Andrea Iannone | Aprilia | 1'24.526 | 0.697 | 0.103 |
| 19 | 41 | Aleix ESPARGARÓ | Aprilia | 1'24.749 | 0.920 | 0.223 |
| 20 | 55 | Hafiz Syahrin | KTM | 1'24.759 | 0.930 | 0.010 |
| 21 | 6 | Stefan BRADL | Honda | 1'25.020 | 1.191 | 0.261 |
