Thanks to Johann Zarco and Fabio Quartararo, the last Indonesian Grand Prix wrote a new line in the French history of motorcycle track competition, with a podium on which the two Frenchmen stood together. It was the fourth all time for our green country, and we owe this improvement in statistics to our duo who had already shared the Prosecco twice the previous season. The first tricolors to have toasted under a podium, and it was Champagne then, were Pierre Monneret and Jacques Collot on their grounds of the French Grand Prix in 1954. Leaving Mandalika, this renewed event inspired the Yamaha official and the Ducati Pramac rider, who are also in the top 5 of the provisional general classification of the championship…
Le MotoGP is an individual sport, but fabio quartararo et Johann zarco were delighted to write another piece of Grand Prix history for their native France with the podium at Mandalika. Our two compatriots thus met again at the end of the Indonesian race and it was the third time that they had invited the tricolor flag to the closing ceremony of hostilities, after Doha and Le Mans last year.
An overall result which is not nothing. Two thirds of 24 Regular MotoGP riders for the current season come from the motorcycle strongholds of Spain (9) or Italy (7). To the two French people are added two Australians, Miller et Gardner, brothers Binder from South Africa, the first Portuguese MotoGP rider Miguel Oliveira and the Japanese Takaaki Nakagami. And then that's all…
Therefore, finding yourself at the top once the checkered flag has been lowered has a particular meaning given the low representation on the starting grid: “ I hope it will be a great season for both of us. ", said Quarterly in Mandalika. “ Because last year, it was good to have two French people – 2 out of 2 – in the first two places in the championship in the first part of the season. We don't have a football team in MotoGP like Spain or Italy ", said the reigning champion of the factory team Yamaha .
Johann Zarco: “being 3rd and 5th in the World Championship is good for our country"
For its part, Johann zarco said : " it was only the second race of the season, but being 3rd and 5th in the World Championship is good for our country. We confirm that if we do everything the right way, we can be there all season. As for my team, my season last year was good, but not as good as Fabio's ».
The fifth of the 2021 season continues: “ I'm really trying to work even better from the practice sessions to reach a better level for the race. Let's see if this approach helps me show a better season than last year ". A new approach developed, incidentally, with the collaboration of Jean Michel Bayle returned by the driving forces in the preparation of the double Moto2 World Champion.
To say everything about Johann zarco, it must be remembered that before flying off for the Argentine Grand Prix expected for next weekend, he collected 636 points since his debut in MotoGP in 2017. This makes him the Frenchman with the most world championship points in the premier category, ahead of Quartararo (629) and Christian Sarron (616,5). With the eight points that zarco collected in Doha for its eighth place, with a total of 2 001,5 points, he was the first Frenchman in the history of Grands Prix to cross the 2 points barrier.
