On this Sunday, September 13, Johann zarco answered journalists' questions from Misano after 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 (vouvoiement) is translated from English.
Johann zarco : " It was a really difficult race, especially at the end where I struggled a lot. If we look at the result, I can be disappointed, but it's not so negative because we found some good things this morning. I think I wouldn't have been able to have a good start to the race if we hadn't found these solutions. That's why there are positive things. From the start until the 15th lap, I was able to follow Dovi quite well, even if I was missing a tenth or two to really feel good behind him. Then, when the tire started to deteriorate, I had more problems and I lost a lot of time in the last 7 laps, and it was difficult. It's not a big drama because, as I said, if you look at the results, I don't like them, but the pace was not bad at all and much closer than you might think looking at the results. You have to learn and it's very good that we have tests on Tuesday, because I was very fast at least on one lap, but it is very complicated to do 27 laps here. I feel like I can be fast if I push the bike to get it where I want it, but I can't do it for the whole race. The objective now is really to be fast but with an easier feeling. That's what we're looking for all the time, even if sometimes we're just looking to be fast, like what we lacked at the start of the season. Now, even if I have problems on the bike, I can be very fast. So it's interesting but I wasn't yet prepared enough for the race compared to the others. This is why I want to take something positive from today but I am disappointed with the end of this race because I lost too much time. I had a point, but it's a symbolic point, just to say that it wasn't completely bad. »
How important is it for you to have the latest version of the Ducati next year?
« Having the 2020 specs will be an evolution for me. It will be very positive, because, for the other riders, they will have the same feeling on the same bike and will be able to get the most out of it. Here, according to the regulations, we cannot change the bike but thanks to this evolution, it will provide a little extra mentally. So I will be happy, but technically I cannot say that with the 2020 bike I will have more grip and that I will be stronger: I don't like to talk technical because I know that the rider's part is big . »
How important is it to fight for victory in Moto2 to get to MotoGP?
« We all come from Moto2 but some riders need more time, and others less. I would say that the last champion in Moto2 was Álex Márquez and he rode with the Triumph engine. But the guys who are in front (in MotoGP) did not use this engine, but used the Honda 600 engine, like me. However, I think that the Moto2 category, with the Triumph engine, has raised the level and is much closer to MotoGP than it was before. The gap between Moto3 and Moto2 is bigger. With the speed they reach in Moto2, they learn a lot more: you can see how Marini won today, how Bastianini came back, how he lost the front and caught up! You have to give everything to be on the podium, and this is also the case in MotoGP: You have to give your best and if you are not perfect or you make a mistake, you lose a lot, as happened to me Today. I'm not yet completely comfortable on the bike, and like in Moto2 I try everything, but at the first mistake, and with the tires, the race is over. This is the ultimate category, where the level is very high for all drivers. »
Can you explain to us the progress you made this morning? Was it related to the bumps?
« We found stability on the bike, thanks to some adjustments to the bike's geometry. And I think we took small steps forward during the weekend, because we don't want to lose the right direction and we want to make sure that the driver is driving correctly. And me too, because I am always honest to say what I can do well and what I cannot do. I have some limits, like any driver who has his own feeling. But the step forward we took this morning helped me a lot, and I'm happy about it because I think I wouldn't have been able to make this good start to the race if we hadn't progressed this morning. This is what I should have tested in FP4, but we had a technical issue and had to wait until warmup to try it because it would have been crazy to test it during qualifying. It gave me stability plus a different feeling. I really saw that. When I can be stable on the bike, I can be loose and very strong. »
Today was very positive for Valentino Rossi's academy. In France, there is you, there is Fabio, but no one behind. What does that arouse in you?
« This prompts me to congratulate VR 46: They did a great job. Afterwards, here in Misano, they are all at home, so even with a bumpy track, they ride with R6s and R1s and really know the track by heart. I saw that I was having problems with the bumps. We had to adjust the bike but we can sometimes avoid bumps by passing in different places: But when we are at more than 200 km/h, it is not easy to always know to the millimeter where to pass, by understanding if it's a bump or if it moved because you slipped. In my opinion, here in Misano they really had that plus of riding at home on their training track. Today, in the three categories, the racing rhythms were very regular, like for me over the first 17 laps, not at all like in Brno, and in this case we see that they manage to find their rhythm, and once they get their rhythm going, they are very hard to beat. I think that's one of the explanations and it's starting to pay off, because ultimately he's been training all the time for a while. »
Is taking care of young pilots something you could consider in the future?
« I will never earn enough money to create an empire like VR 46, especially since I live in France (laughs)! But no, for the moment I don't see myself creating things like that, and when I see the Moto3 riders, the only person I will help and who I will want to help, it will be little Lorenzo Fellon s he moves on to the Grand Prix. I know there is still a heart for him. We really had a very good feeling. I think I can make one person very strong, but not 10 yet. »
Do you retain the overall positive side of the weekend?
« Yes, completely! When we look at the result of the race, we can compare it to a race like Jerez. There, I finished 15th at 20 seconds, and in Jerez it was not good. But there, compared to Jerez, if I need to go quickly, I can take out the timer. That's already a big improvement compared to the start of the season. And clearly, here, everyone was very strong: The race pace was 1'33 whereas during practice, yes I was doing 1'33, but once every five laps. In a race, you can't afford to do a lap and slow down: You have to do them all well, because everyone still drove very, very fast. Technically, with the people at Ducati, we saw that ultimately not much was missing. Within 2 tenths, I would have stayed with Dovizioso, and that would have changed the whole race because I would have let go of the group behind, and after that we are no longer in the same trouble. So, at one point in the race, it's close to 2/10. That's why it's very motivating. We tell ourselves that it will do it and that motivates me a lot. It's like Bagnaia today: He too was non-existent for a year, then as soon as he had the feeling, he did something grandiose. He was also very strong in Jerez and he found that Jerez feeling again, and it paid off. So that motivates me a lot: Yes, I have to progress, but when my comments are better understood, I think I will be with the others. That’s extremely motivating. »
Do you regret your choice of tire?
« I don't think it's linked to my choice of tires, otherwise I wouldn't have had such a good start to the race with a medium or hard tire. Anyway, the hard one was excluded during the tests because I didn't manage to use it correctly, although we saw that Viñales is very strong with it, which was interesting. In my opinion, the fact of pushing harder, and not being able to position the bike the way I want all the time, that's what made me eat a little more tire, in general and especially on the left. So we'll see next week, but I think this choice of tires still remains interesting: hard front and soft rear. »
How is the wrist?
« GOOD. That’s positive! It’s true that Jérôme immediately called asking me if I had had pain in my wrist. But I said “no, adrenaline plus anti-inflammatory, it would be a lie to say that I struggled because of my wrist”. That's very good, and we've already treated him and put him on cold for prevention. It's good. It's not 100% but it doesn't bother me on the bike. »
Lenovo San Marino and Rimini Riviera MotoGP Grand Prix standings in Misano:
Credit rankings: MotoGP.com
