On this Saturday, October 10, Johann zarco answered questions from journalists from Le Mans at the end of qualifying for the French Grand Prix.
We went to listen (via teleconferencing software) to the words of the French pilot.
As usual, we report here the words of Johann zarco without the slightest formatting, even if the first part is translated from English (vouvoiement).
Johann zarco : " P9 today, third row: I think it's good, because the time is very interesting, and compared to FP3, it was a big step forward. So I'm happy that I was able to follow the others and that I was always in the right group competing with them. Confidence really takes a lot of time, to control it well, and I feel that as soon as I can do it better, I will improve a lot. It's not yet automatic for me and maybe that's what's missing. But it's part of the game and I feel like I have the weekend under control, and that's why I'm happy. Overall, it's good that everything can be strong in the future. So have a great Saturday! When it's a little warmer, everyone can clearly be faster because the tires work much better. When it's colder you have to be more careful but at the same time you have to be quick, and I think that's why the confidence I have in the front, especially on the left side, takes too long to be able to fight for the top five or even for a podium. We'll see tomorrow what I can do at the start. »
There are five Ducatis in the top nine. Can you tell us why they suddenly work so well here?
« Also last year the Ducatis were fast here. I think the acceleration after the last corner as well as on the back straight can give us some sort of advantage in those places, plus the fact that it is a stop and go circuit. I think it helps the Ducatis. The feeling at the front is very good if you understand how the bike works and you can go very fast. Jack Miller controls well, Petrucci also knows how to do it, Dovizioso also knows it perfectly but he is more sensitive, so he struggles sometimes, and I am in the process of learning it. And for Pecco, it takes time, but when he has it, he's fast. So I'm happy for Ducati that there are these five bikes in the top nine. We could also say that it is a track for Yamaha, because there are only Yamahas and Ducatis. »
It seems that only soft tires work. How difficult is it to manage the weekend when you only use soft tires?
“Luckily we had a bit of rain in the first practice session, so that helped save some tires. If we had had slightly higher temperatures, the allocation would have been good, but as this season is a bit unusual, we are encountering a few more problems and we are trying to anticipate for Aragon and Valencia. Or you ask Michelin to provide two additional sets of soft tires, because we already know that in the next races we will also use only the soft tires, because at least at the front there are corners, like the second corner at Aragón, which can be very delicate, or you have to have big erasers like they did before. Now they have found consistency with the front and they are making a normal front tire, not a dual compound. But clearly, with this special season, we are asking for either bi-compounds or more soft tires. »
Did you speak to the security committee about this yesterday?
« Yes! »
Was this adopted?
« No not yet. It's just a proposal of what we can do and what we ask. But for Aragón and Valencia, if we want to be safe, we will not have dual compounds but the simplest thing for Michelin is to provide two additional sets of soft tires to have a margin. But if you do too many laps on the soft tire you can't attack. We will see if we do something or not, but if not we will adapt, as we did this weekend. »
Do you need unanimity from manufacturers?
« I don't know the rules. »
We are talking about putting light panels around the track. What do you think about this ?
« We also spoke to the safety commission about it and got very positive feedback. Here, at Le Mans, the light panels are close to the track so we can see them very well. But it made us laugh yesterday, because we said it was easy to see them at Le Mans because it's dark all day (laughs). No, it works fine, that plus the flags. Yesterday we had a lot of crashes in FP2 and we had a few canceled laps, but we agreed that we had all seen it all. »
How does the soft tire wear over the duration of the race?
« After 20 laps, I still have doubts because I think I don't yet have enough comfort on the bike, and as soon as the tire wears more, I lose even more comfort, which could put me in difficulty at the end of the race for the moment. I don't yet have enough confidence on the bike to use the worn tires properly. »
You still hold the lap record here with the M1. What separates you from this time with the Ducati?
« I think that on a timed lap, it remains an advantage to be able to pass corners quickly. There, I manage to have a lot of speed and I think that it can become a comfort when we have controlled it well. But clearly, that day on the Yamaha with more heat, it was a great lap and everything came together well. There, I still remember the trick, and I can't push like I pushed two years ago, because I don't want to either... There are places where I keep some margin, because that if I pass the margin, I think I fall. So we wait for the feeling to arrive to defend the time. If I had been first row, I think I would have been below 31.5. »
Weren't you distracted by your downgrade yesterday?
« Yesterday, the times were not fast because there were some patches on the track, so this morning, even if it was cold, when we saw that it was dry, it was certain that the times were going to go down. So even if I had stayed fourth yesterday, it wouldn't have been enough. That's why it helped to stay calm, knowing that it was practically reset again this morning. »
How do you see the departure, which is not easy here, after that of Barcelona?
« I see that I am sensitive to the temperature of the tires which is a bit limited. There, starting ninth, I am well on the rope to enter the first turn, and the other turn is done by braking. So as long as you brake, you keep the temperature on the tire, whereas in Barcelona, it was just a little braking while I was already on the corner. You will have to be a little careful because even the rear, during the first braking sessions, can go away. It's hard to anticipate but we'll have to see, because we have to attack while remaining cautious. »
You qualified with a front tire that was not new. For what ?
« I deliberately left with a worn tire because the new tire takes a little time to really feel good. So it was on purpose and it helped me, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to attack as much. »
You always talk about confidence going forward...
« Yes that's it. From experience, there are areas where I feel that if I push more, I will probably fall, and I prefer to gradually. But I see that they are able to give it to me because they too are finding what is best for me. But I don't want to fall, because otherwise we'll lose even more time. That's why, as even keeping a margin I'm not that far, I currently prefer to play it like that. »
Will all the falls that took place here at the Dunlop chicane with electric motorcycles encourage caution tomorrow?
« Yes, but they are hard to stop because the motorbikes they have are very heavy. There, in my opinion, the tires were perhaps a bit cold even if they put the heating blankets back on. The first red flag didn't help them. And since they had already made a start and a U-turn, they had used up 50% of their batteries. There, they had left for four laps and it is normal that they cannot gain too much margin at the first corner. And unfortunately, it does. But hey, it's good for Mike Di Meglio who can give us a nice podium. »
Qualification 2 ranking of the French MotoGP Grand Prix:
Qualification 1 ranking of the French MotoGP Grand Prix:
Credit rankings: MotoGP.com
