This Saturday April 30, 2022, John Zarco answered questions from journalists from the Jerez – Ángel Nieto circuit at the end of the second day of the Spanish Grand Prix.
After a difficult Friday by the French driver's own admission, the latter was much more consistent this Saturday, to the point of proving the fastest in Qualification 1 before snatching a second row on the starting grid of Sunday's race.
As usual, we report here the words of John Zarco without the slightest formatting, even if it is partially translated (vouvoiement in English, tutoiement in French).
Johann zarco : " Not qualified this morning, it bothered me to go through Q1, because it's always difficult because the level is very high. Only 4 tenths behind the best time this morning and I was in 12th position, so that means it was very difficult. In Q1, I knew that there are always guys who can be fast. I'm part of it and it was still a good time, and I'm really happy to have done this last lap at the last minute. There, in qualifying, I only had one tire and I wanted to use it straight away. But I didn't manage to use it properly and repeat the same time. I expected better and so I kept it to finish my session. Fortunately, I had a small improvement on the last lap which allowed me to gain a few places. At the time, I was still upset because I'm not yet comfortable enough: I'm pushing too much on the bike! Following the others, I see that something is really missing, and it's hard to find on this track which is still quite technical. We still need to work on how I can be faster on this bike, especially on this track because I can keep up with the others but I feel something is missing. But there are still positives, because it's clear that I could have started 15th and I'm 6th. So, the second row will be useful tomorrow and it will help me a lot on the grid. »
Is your problem with the rear grip?
« Yes. It's a combination of rear grip and letting the bike turn as fast as possible. In fast corners I lose a lot of time because I can't let the bike turn into the corner. It's been like this since Friday. We have taken a step forward but others have also progressed. This is why it is difficult to understand how much we have improved, when others are also improving. But at least I preserved a good afternoon today and I have to appreciate this moment. »
When you're in tough times, you don't give up...
« Yes, it's disappointing that we didn't give up. There was no reason, but even when you don't want to give up, there's sometimes no extra energy. She came this afternoon, and that's very important. We were able to get a little taste of parc ferme, but I really have this desire to do well, and my demons which sometimes come back because I think I'm not too comfortable. We'll see tomorrow if we find one more step to find this ease, because there the speed is just starting to be interesting. Afterwards, you have to manage to have it more easily on the bike. But sixth is still a good place because, when you are not qualified for Q2, it is already a sign that if you miss something in Q1, you start 13th, 14th or 15th. So between 15th and 6th, I take sixth place. »
We see that there is Francesco Bagnaia and Fabio Quartararo in front, then a group of drivers in which we will need to have a constant rhythm to appear…
« Exact ! It will be an advantage to start from the second row. If the others attack a lot, I'll try to do something warm up tomorrow morning to keep my position. This is a bit where you can win a race. When exiting turns, be able to brake to overtake. Fabio and Pecco are the only ones to have a pace in 37, and what will they do going into the race tomorrow? I don't know ! We'll see if they can escape. I think Fabio perhaps has a better rhythm than Pecco, and in my opinion he will try that. For us, behind, if we don't follow them, there is a place to play in the top five if I keep my pace well over the 25 laps. We will see ! You don't have to think too much about the position but stay focused to really have a good rhythm. »
Results of Qualification 2 of the MotoGP Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez:
Results of Qualification 1 of the MotoGP Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez:
Classification credit: MotoGP.com
