This Saturday March 19, 2022, John Zarco answered questions from journalists from the Mandalika Circuit on the island of Lombok, at the end of the second day of the 2022 Indonesian Grand Prix.
We went to listen (via teleconferencing software) to the words of the French driver who is enjoying his Indonesian weekend with great competitiveness in the dry and nevertheless the hope of a race in the wet...
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).
After your big fall in FP4, how were you able to regain the concentration and confidence to make this qualification?
Johann zarco : "
It started on Friday with these good laps in FP2 and no stress in FP3. This was useful in the afternoon for the fall in FP4. It seems that I touched a bit of Rins oil because normally I shouldn't have crashed with the bike like that. Then it was more tiring trying to push my bike through the gravel than riding it, and when I returned to the box it was good to have the red flag to breathe and regain my composure. Then the rest of FP4 was a good session because I was able to try a harder tire which works quite well for me. So in case the conditions are very hot for the race, I think this can be a good option for me. Then in qualifying, after the first tire, I saw that the 31 would be hard to do, so for the second tire I tried to follow good drivers, but I was not the only one to think like that. But in the last lap Bastianini was in front and I really tried to do my best and doing this 31.3 and the first row makes me very happy. »
We saw that the GP22s had some problems in Qatar. Are you confident you were able to solve them?
« We continue to work on the 2022 bike and it is true that we suffered a little during the departure to Qatar. The test I did here was much better so we will see how it goes tomorrow with the opponents. I think third position, whether for the trajectory or the position on the track, and a good position to start because we have a chance to make a very good start. Overall, the basic settings that we prepared during the test were very useful for me to get the weekend off to a good start. »
How do you feel about the new Michelin tires with the stiffer carcass?
« You can feel the difference. It seems that there is less performance and less grip, but if I have to compare myself with others, it seems that I lose less performance compared to the test than others. So I try to keep this feeling and always stay ahead. So for me, for the race, we will perhaps have less performance but better consistency could be good. I don't feel too much deterioration, I don't feel any more than during the tests, so we'll see tomorrow because we didn't really have any opportunity to really do 27 laps. As usual, we never do the distance before the race, so we'll see, but I think that what Michelin has chosen is, as always, something to preserve safety and not lose pieces of tire. »
How does the resurfaced part of the circuit behave?
« There is this new asphalt, from turn 5 to the last corner, which is quite good. It is true that there are two patches that cannot dry quickly and where you must keep a margin. At turn two, it is possible to maintain a margin, but at turn five, no! I think it was in Q2 where Franco lost the front there and when you saw the bike in the gravel, there was absolutely nothing around. So it wasn't pretty to see, so this place is very tricky, but I think they did well because the feeling of grip is pretty good and, compared to the test, we get a lot less stuff on the body, on the visor and on the motorcycle. Even on the old asphalt it seems like it's cleaner than last time, but I think that in the race, with a lot of drivers, it will remain very tricky and very hard to be in the group. »
Why does the Ducati work well on this small circuit?
« I expected to suffer more here, compared to the others, because as I said we don't have the engine advantage. But the rear tire, with the drop, perhaps it bothered us less than the other manufacturers, so perhaps that's why we progressed. Even what Pecco did in Q1 was very fast, although he didn't have a good lap in Q2. it's difficult to say: maybe the new asphalt provides good grip and we can then use the bike well, but maybe the reason is this new tire which causes the Ducati to lose less than the others.
»
How do you see the race with trajectories that remain very narrow?
« If we can stay three in front, without being disturbed by the others, it will be the best race we can have because I think with one or two drivers it's OK, but with more it will be hard. And we'll see what the pace will be: if it's very hot and, depending on the tire choice, if someone can take the advantage and start in front, I think they will be in the best position. »
Results of Qualifying 2 of the Indonesian MotoGP Grand Prix at Mandalika Circuit:
Results of Qualifying 1 of the Indonesian MotoGP Grand Prix at Mandalika Circuit:
Classification credit: MotoGP.com
