On this Thursday, May 13, 2021, Johann zarco answered questions from journalists from the Bugatti circuit in Le Mans as a prelude to the French Grand Prix.
We went to listen (via teleconferencing software) to the words of the French driver who currently occupies 5th place in the championship after having led it after the two races in Qatar.
As usual, we report here the words of Johann zarco without any formatting, even if it is translated from English.
Johann, this is also your home race. I'm sure you regret that there are no fans here but it's clearly a weekend that could allow us to return to the top after a difficult weekend...
Johann zarco : " Yes, it's true that in Jerez I scored a few points, and that was pretty good for me, but with the great potential of the Ducati, Jack's victory and Pecco's second place in Jerez, the leadership of the latter really provides great motivation to achieve a very good result here in France. As Pecco said, the circuit matches the Ducati well here, or at least better than in Jerez, while the Ducati's pace was interesting in Jerez. So I am very happy to have this package with me. The fans are not there. We're almost used to it, and in a way it's sad because there are fewer nice things around the track, but to stay focused and approach the weekend almost like a normal weekend, it's very good. For work and for the goal of being on the podium, it can help. »
“It gives me motivation to have a good result here in France” 🎙️ – @JohannZarco1
Zarco looking to rebound after taking confidence from the strong showings of his factory stablemates last time out 💪#FrenchGP ???????? pic.twitter.com/x0QNNjPo2v
- MotoGP @ 🏁 (@MotoGP) May 13, 2021
Danilo Petrucci won the race last year and the Ducatis have always been strong here of late. With the performance of the GP21, do you think there is a good chance that the Ducati will dominate the standings here?
« I think it would be good to share the podium, if the three of us together (Bagnaia, Zarco, Miller) have the possibility. Anyway, since the start of the season we can see that we can be at the top of the races. At first I was able to stay in front, then it was Pecco and Jack but the three of us haven't been able to share that together yet. It would be simply incredible for Ducati, and good for us too because, as you can see, we have a good state of mind together and that also provides great motivation. So you just have to cross your fingers to do it! »
We may be heading towards a flag to flag race this weekend. Is it something you love or something you fear?
« Having a flag to flag race means that we will start on slicks and then it will start to rain. It's always tricky to know when to enter the pitlane to change bikes if there is only a little rain and (we wonder) if we can keep the slicks or not. But when changing bikes, here at Le Mans, there is a very tight little turn to enter the pitlane and if we are on slicks and it starts to rain, it will be tricky. And also coming out of the pitlane, it's very narrow and you have to stay at 60 km/h for 700 or 600 meters, and it's very long. So it's difficult to say: I think that here at Le Mans it can be special, and especially if there are a lot of riders changing bikes, the narrow area at the exit of the pitlane will be interesting for the show... »
Le Mans has the reputation of being a “stop and go” circuit. This year, the holeshot device seems to work very well on the Ducati. Do you think this can be a big advantage for you?
“Pecco is right: At the moment there is only one place where we are sure we can use our system well. And the first two sectors at Le Mans are good for Yamaha: That's why we can try to get an advantage in sectors three and four, then we'll see. Personally, I think that the advantage of our bike is more during the race: If we can lead the race, and I'm talking in case it is dry, it will be more difficult for the others to overtake us. »
What do you think is the trickiest corner at Le Mans?
« The trickiest corner... I would say it's the Dunlop entry because the track (uphill) doesn't help you and you can easily lose the front. I think that in the wet, you probably have to maintain a little security before gaining confidence afterwards. If you try to do too much early on, you may lose time due to a fall. It's an easy fall but you lose time so you have to be careful at the Dunlop chicane. »
Photo credits: MotoGP.com
