On this Sunday, June 27, 2021, John Zarco answered questions from journalists from the Assen circuit, following the Dutch Grand Prix which he finished in 4th position after a solid race and contact with Álex Rins.
We went to listen (via teleconferencing software) to the words of the French driver who still occupies second place in the championship, 34 points behind fabio quartararo.
As usual, we report here the words of John Zarco without any formatting (vouvoiement for questions in English and informality for questions in French).
Today we are publishing his words translated from English.
Johann zarco : " Okay, happy! A great fourth place and also a great race. I was happy to feel like I could have the speed. But clearly, to have the speed you also needed compensations and there was a moment in the race where I said to myself “How can I finish like that? ”, because I gave a lot. But I was able to find even more confidence, and I really think that the more I push in this direction, the more this confidence will become natural, like automatic, by Friday. And if I can see her on Friday, I will be much stronger and ready to race, above all against Fabio who had a very good race.
It was good that Pecco tried to block him a bit by overtaking him and trying to fight with him. But clearly, afterwards, when Fabio was able to lead the race he escaped to win. I don't have this kind of margin yet.
We have to say that here it wasn't the best circuit for us and that's why having a good position after a difficult weekend brings a smile to my face. I could have even thought about the podium, and I tried, but Mir rode well and I also had a kind of big slide in turn 15 on the last lap. This didn't give me the opportunity to attack Joan Mir in the last chicane.
I lose a few points on Fabio but I take a few points on my pursuers in the championship and I hope to come back even stronger for the second half to be a real contender for the title. »
Where was it the hardest physically?
« What was difficult about this race? Finally, changes of direction. It's quite hard but I could see that it was difficult for almost everyone. The slip control in the corners, when the acceleration is important and during it you still have to ride the bike, at that moment I was spending a lot of energy, just to hold the bike. We were sliding a lot and to control the sliding and movement of the bike I had to force a lot. The problem here is that there aren't many places to try and relax, and that's why it got harder and harder as the 26 laps went on. »
At the start of the year, did you expect to be in this position in the championship?
« The expectations are higher than I could have predicted at the start of the season, but once you're there, you have to seize the opportunity. I would say my final goal is to fight for the title and try to be champion in MotoGP. If it's all going to happen now, I have to be smart and grab it. So it's better than what I said, but I can't stress because it's better: I just have to enjoy this moment. So I'm really happy, and if I just think about the title I might be disappointed to lose points on Fabio, but if I also think about the championship I'm happy to have gained points on the drivers who are just behind in the standings. So it’s a good operation, once again! »
You have already ridden a lot of MotoGP. Do you think it is more difficult now to switch from one brand to another?
« Since my debut in MotoGP, I feel that... It's not a fight but you have to give a lot of energy to take any bike to its best level. The worst moment was with the KTM, because I was giving all this energy to finish 19th, 18th or 16th, and that's why I gave up and said "don't pay me to do this kind of thing". But the energy remains the same. With the Yamahas, today they were very strong, but the way I rode the Yamaha four years ago, I would not have been as fast as Fabio was this weekend, and every weekend. It has the great confidence that I feel comes with the Ducati, and I am very happy that the Ducati brings me this confidence step by step. I would have liked to get it faster but I feel that it's coming, it's just taking a little long, but I'm trying to resist because when it comes I really believe that I will fight with Fabio from Friday at the top of the rankings at each session. This is the goal of being strong. »
Is it more about tailoring the bike to you or your riding style to the bike?
« With the Yamaha I could ride the way I wanted and the bike adapted very well. With the KTM, the Honda and the Ducati, I have to do a lot of work on myself to adapt because the way I ride, even on the Ducati, doesn't work. So it changes but it seems like I have some very deep things within me that remain. Little by little, it doesn't go away but I gain confidence in new things. »
Did you speak with Rins after the race, because he had very harsh words about you?
« No, I didn't talk to him and I didn't know he was disappointed. It's true that we had contact but it wasn't in an easy corner and at this point in the race I wanted to stay with the leading group. Turn 9 and 10 were my strong point: I even tried to overtake Viñales there but he was a little faster and I widened. But with Rins, it's true that we are affected because when you try to attack here it's not easy to stay inside. But really, I was in total control. I don't know what happened, if he completely went off the track or not, but for me, at that moment, I was quite happy to overtake him and that no one overtook us afterwards, because we have expanded a little. A boy like Mir could really have arrived quickly, because he is also very good at overtaking.
So no, I haven't spoken to him, but like I said, people can come directly to me if they need to talk. This is how I do it when I need something, but I'm sure with Rins you can do it that way too. »
To be continued with the words in French…
Standings for the Dutch MotoGP Grand Prix at TT Assen:
Classification and photo credit: MotoGP.com
