Via the official website MotoGP.com, we attended the post-race MotoGP conference of the Czech Republic Grand Prix on Sunday which brought together Brad Binder, Franco Morbidelli and Johann zarco.
As usual, we report here the entirety of the comments of Johann zarco, without the slightest formatting.
Johann zarco : " Starting from pole, the objective was to start the race in the lead. If I had had a good start, I might have been first or second and taken advantage of the new tire to escape a little. But I missed my start and lost positions. When Franco got away, I thought I could follow him but I had to fight with the others and I couldn't overtake to get into second position and immediately catch Franco. It was a little complicated because after a few laps, I didn't regain the advantage I had at the start of the race. A few laps later, when Pol overtook me, he also started to make some small mistakes: he was coming hard into the corners, but many times he widened a little and missed the apex. From that moment on, I felt comfortable again and I arrived with good corner speed, which is my characteristic in these big corners. I tried to pass to catch up with Fabio and when there was contact between us, I wondered if he had fallen, but I couldn't hear him anymore... I was a little worried because I know the rules and they are rather strict. But the penalty didn't happen and I said to myself “it's OK”. I caught Fabio and passed him then I started to escape but I got the long lap penalty. It was a shame because I thought I was going to lose third position and it would then be difficult to fight for the podium, because we would have had to fight with the others while the tires were degrading and we were spinning a lot , which tends to make more mistakes. As no one overtook me during this long period, it was like a second chance and I said to myself “OK, if I stay focused and try to catch Franco, it will be a good thing to at least save the podium”. It worked well, although Rins came back very strong during the last two laps, as I could in the last sector. »
How do you view what Brad Binder did today?
« I'm happy for Brad and also for KTM. He was able to do a job that I couldn't do for them last year. They took a big step forward over the winter on the bike. He arrived with a fresh mind, but that makes it a lot easier to do a good job on the KTM. And he’s already proving it now. He had already been fast in Jerez and the other riders and I were lucky that he crashed, because he could have been on the podium. Today it was a bit tricky with the tires and he had an advantage so he won. So I'm happy for him, but happy for me too. Now I am with Ducati and I feel better because they explain a lot of things to me and I can regain confidence. So it seems like we're both okay in different places. We are each in the right place. »
At this point in the conference, Johann Zarco begins to sing a song about Brad Binder… and is applauded by the audience!
🎶 Singalong with @JohannZarco1! 🎶
The Frenchman serenades race winner @ BradBinder_41! 😂😂😂#CzechGP 🇨🇿 pic.twitter.com/RfsTo1Dgrb
- MotoGP @ 🏁 (@MotoGP) August 9
What did you learn today about the Ducati?
« The thing I learned is that I need to improve my starts. This will be a big help for the next races. On some laps I felt good and I was catching up a lot with the guys in braking, in the corners, and I felt comfortable on the exits, but on some laps I was making mistakes. So I can't say that I learned new things but I confirmed the things that I need to do perfectly on the bike to be even stronger and control the race even better. But today was a good day because saving the podium despite the long lap was a good day for me. »
Do you think you should have been more patient and stayed with KTM?
« You like to ask controversial questions... Brad did the work that I couldn't do last year and I'm very happy for him and for KTM. I have no regrets wondering if I should have been more patient or not. No. When I was struggling last year, I had to make a change for myself and make a big decision to find some freedom and be in agreement with myself. I felt like I was making money by doing nothing, by doing shit, and I didn't agree with that. So I had to be honest with KTM as well and tell them that I didn't want to do these things and that I would rather walk away, rather than do it wrong. It was a very big change, but when I started visiting Ducati in December, I had a different feeling. It was the same one I had in Moto2. I don't know if it was because the people were Latin, but the bike gave me more confidence in February at Sepang, and from then on I was able to work on myself much better. For KTM, it's just perfect to have Brad. He showed last year who he was in Moto2, and when they had problems he was able to move beyond the problems and win races. Now, maybe the bike has taken a huge step forward, but since a MotoGP is never a perfect bike, he can ride it better. »
Casey Stoner defended you on Twitter, but could you have avoided contact with Pol?
« Regarding my penalty with Pol, I think it is in accordance with the rules we have. Like I said, it widened and I tried to dive because there was room. And I think I did it pretty well, thinking he would see me. As there was contact it seems he didn't see me, but in racing you have to try things and we don't always have a big margin to overtake because he always brakes very hard and enters corners quickly. It is therefore not easy to overtake him when braking, but that is also why he widened in the first corner. With the rules, I was expecting something to happen, and at first I was happy that nothing happened, since they waited many laps to give me the long lap penalty. For me, the long lap penalty should not be more penalizing. For me it was good because I didn't lose any position in this race. But this is also part of racing and we must remember that competition is not easy because we all have fighting spirits. I deserve this podium today and I'm sorry for Pol. »
When you learned of your penalty, did it distract you?
« When I found out about my penalty, I wasn't fighting with anyone, but I was completely focused on trying to catch Franco. I saw the penalty and thought I would do it immediately so I wouldn't have to think about it anymore: "I've done it now so I don't lose concentration." I'm surprised that everyone is saying that I did fantastic in that long lap, because I just put my knee down because I expected the guys to come back and me to lose. two or three positions. It's true that no one came, and as I took the turn completely outside like that, it was long and uncomfortable but I told myself that maybe it was the Multistrada that I use every day at home, in roundabouts with little grip, which helped me today. »
With your bike from last year, you finish far ahead of the other Ducatis. How do you explain this and how do you see your future at Ducati?
« Why was I fast today on the Ducati while the other riders of the brand struggled? I don't know ! I'm just happy that things have been coming together since Friday. With the new tire I'm fast, at least on one lap, but it was a weak point in Jerez. I was able to maintain that on Saturday and the pole position was fantastic. But today we knew it was going to be difficult and that's why I wanted to be fast from the start. I think even though I missed my start, it was helpful to start from pole position and stay with this group. This helped me get going and maintain a good position. Fighting less in the group also helps preserve the tires. »
“Things went well so I don't want to think too much about why it went better than for the other Ducatis this weekend, but it's very positive for me to score points in the Ducati minds. The support they already give, including to the team, makes them a very good satellite team, and we show it. So I'm happy for the team and I hope I deserve something good. This result therefore comes at the best time, earlier than we could have expected, but it is always good to take. Now we have to confirm it to Spielberg and it looks like we can do it since we know Austria is good for the Ducatis. But I don't think it will be easy. »
What do you think now about the doubts you had about the Avintia team last year?
« I was right to have doubts about the team last year, because I struggled a lot during the season and I didn't want to struggle even more. They hadn't had great results and they were a private team, not a satellite team. There wasn't the same investment from Ducati, and at this level everything is very expensive and all the parts of the bike are very important. Now, Ducati pays great attention to all its details in the team and we will be able to see that all the Ducati technicians, together with the mechanics, are all passionate and work well. In the past, it was not because of poor work by mechanics that there were no results. It was just that the budget was very limited and they didn't have the best parts to race with. That is why they struggled a lot. Now I'm just happy to give them this good result, because the whole weekend was very satisfying. A mechanic or technician has great passion, and when his driver behaves well, the whole team is stronger. It's the same for Brad with his team, which is exactly the team I was with, and I'm also happy for his mechanics because Brad can give them what I couldn't do. So, everything is good (moment of emotion)! »
MotoGP Czech Republic Grand Prix standings:
Photo credit and rankings: MotoGP.com
