On this Saturday, September 12, Johann zarco answered questions from journalists from Misano ahead of the San Marino 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.
Johann zarco : " Aujourd’hui ne s’est pas
si mal passé, même si l’après-midi a été délicate. Il était très
important pour moi d’être en Q2 car ça sauvait ma journée. En FP4,
j’ai connu un problème technique sur ma deuxième moto car nous
voulions essayer quelque chose sur les réglages. Mais j’ai eu un
problème et j’ai dû rentrer au box. Il restait alors trois minutes
et je me suis dit “pourquoi ne pas prendre la première moto pour
terminer la séance ?”. Mais le pneu avait juste perdu un peu en
température, et comme c’était le Hard, qui fonctionne bien mais il
faut qu’il soit à la bonne température, quand je suis arrivé dans
le premier gauche au virage six, à peine couché je suis tombé.
Pourtant, c’était un tour de sortie, donc pas en attaque, mais ça a
glissé. C’était donc avec le pneu froid mais la moto avec laquelle
j’avais fait le premier run. »
« I was then worried because I thought it was the only bike I could use in qualifying. But the team did an incredible job and qualifying went normally, passing both tires. And in the end, fortunately it was in FP4 because if I had to go to Q1, the bike might not have been ready and I would have had to start from last position. This is the positive side of the day. »
« To have a better performance and to be faster on the bike, as I said yesterday, I think that small things will help me a lot in terms of feeling. But clearly, that's easier said than done. We're in the right direction finding it, but it's taking a little time to figure out how my style can best fit. I always try to adapt as best as possible to ride the bike perfectly, but my style is still there and persists. But I am sure that when we find solutions, it will allow us to still be in the top five. So I would say that everything is normal. »
« All the Yamahas were very fast today and I was also really impressed by Pecco Bagnaia who did a great job this morning and did it again this afternoon. After his injury, it’s very good for him and for Ducati! We are here and and I would like to be able to fight for eighth position tomorrow. If I can do that, I will get good points in the championship and then I will try to do better in the next one. »
You think you won't be able to fight ahead tomorrow. Is it a question of waiting for a more favorable route for the Ducati?
« No, I think we can fight for the podium, even in Misano. I feel the bike can do it, but at the moment, not easily. We need to find better things so that I can control the bike better, because I can't do that at the moment. That's why I don't expect to find this tomorrow. Maybe yes, so why not fight in the top five, but as it stands, being in the top eight would be a great Sunday. We will have a test on Tuesday and we can try more things without any pressure, to see if I can be more competitive next week. »
Stefan Bradl tried the radio communication system yesterday. What is your opinion on the subject?
« At the moment, only Bradl has tested because he is not really in the championship and he is a test driver. So he can. We will try it next Tuesday: All drivers who wish will be able to test it on Tuesday. For me, we already have good information on the dashboard. It's always interesting and exciting to know that we might be able to receive information, but we can't do like in Formula 1: We have to remain Bikers (laughs)! »
You are in the top 10 with Francesco Bagnaia. Did you expect Pecco to be this fast upon his return?
« It's a good thing and it's better for Ducati to have this competition. It pushes me and it also pushes him. Either way, you're either in a ton of pain and can't do anything, like me with the first one, where you expected worse. When you expect worse, you don't feel so bad, and there's something really positive inside of you that makes you do better. I think he had that kind of feeling, like I had also driving. But yes, it's a nice surprise and I like it when it happens like that. It's good. »
Are your two bikes strictly identical, or did you lose a few tenths by damaging the first?
« No. They are identical. There was a change in settings that we weren't really able to test in FP4, and it might have been better for qualifying, but we will reconfirm it tomorrow during the warmup. I think we're starting to put our finger on something that could be interesting, but the two bikes are the same, so there was no hindrance in qualifying. »
After two days on the bumps, how is your wrist?
« Where I had the most pain was Friday morning, because I left without anti-inflammatories. But it was better around noon, then in the evening and this morning, so it's not the wrist that's bothering me. I'm not yet at the maximum ease on the bike, and as there is little time for respite here, it's quite difficult, but that's the high level. I think that if we manage to resolve the problems here, it will make us stronger for all the other races: We will understand how we resolved the problem, so we will be able to resolve it much more quickly in the next races if these kinds of problems arise. or problems recur. »
How do you explain that the Pramacs are in front of the factory machines? At what level is the difference made?
« I would say that it is perhaps more about the risk-taking of the pilot. Jack is on a good dynamic where everything is in place and he is moving forward. Dovizioso still remains a very sensitive person, so I understand that this very delicate track does not put him at ease. He is very strong, but in my opinion he is less relaxed than Jack. Bagnaia, he was surprised to come back as we said, or maybe he is on painkillers which allow him to disconnect more, I don't know. But hey, he's got this effect back and does the job very well: he drove very quickly in Jerez and there we see that he quickly regains the same feeling. Afterwards, for Petrucci, I think that because of the fact that Ducati did not show much interest in the last year with him, since it was the first one that we knew he was going to leave, I think it It's a lot in the mind: motivation makes the difference. »
How are the discussions going for your future currently?
« Elles sont très claires : On sait que ça continue avec Ducati. Ça, c’est très bon. Ça sera Pramac ou le team officiel. Il n’y a pas beaucoup beaucoup de discussions mais une fois qu’on saura vraiment dans quel team aller, il y aura des petites discussions concernant les détails, les salaires et tout ça. On essaiera d’en tirer le meilleur. Les grandes lignes, c’est ça : “Pramac ou team officiel, on vous dira ça dans trois courses. Il faut voir comment revient Pecco : s’il revient suffisamment fort, alors on le prendra, si c’est toi qui est plus fort, on te prendra toi”. Donc, à voir ! Il n’y a pas beaucoup de discussions car, finalement, tout est clair et très positif. Au “moins bien”, c’est Pramac, mais ce n’est peut-être pas moins bien parce que ce sera la même chose, mais sans doute avec moins de pression. Il y a seulement l’aspect économique qui change. »
Q2 standings Lenovo San Marino and Rimini Riviera MotoGP Grand Prix in Misano:
Q1 standings Lenovo San Marino and Rimini Riviera MotoGP Grand Prix in Misano:
Credit rankings: MotoGP.com
