This Friday April 22, 2022, John Zarco answered questions from journalists from the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimão at the end of the first day of the Portuguese Grand Prix.
As usual, we report here the words of John Zarco without the slightest formatting, even if it is partially translated (vouvoiement in English, tutoiement in French).
John Zarco: « An easy day with rain. These are conditions in which I always feel more comfortable. My feelings are generally quite good in the rain and I have a little more margin than in the dry, so I have time to do everything. Things went pretty well in the morning, with lots of areas for improvement. But in the afternoon, we also immediately understood that it would no longer work in the same way because the wind was much stronger and it was cold wind. You could tell with the tires because even the Michelin tires weren't warm enough, especially the rear tire. Then there was the rain and it was all this combination: if you wanted the same feeling as in the morning, it was quite critical. You can try, and sometimes it works, but you can also get surprised, as happened in my case with the crash at turn 2. The rear wheel lost grip but luckily I didn't get hurt .
We'll see and if it rains again tomorrow I'm still hoping for better conditions than this afternoon. I think the wind played a big role in cooling the tires. This is why no driver could find the right confidence. Pol Espargaró had a great lap from the start, he succeeded, but after that it only got worse. »
What's the use of a day like this?
« Have feeling in the wet. These are more normal wet conditions than in Indonesia. When it's cold, like here, we feel that we can still do good things, but with less margin. That's why it's always good to work on this. »
Is there an explanation for the fact that four of the eight Ducatis crashed?
« Maybe we have more problems getting the rear tire up to temperature. That was the problem with Bezzecchi in the fast corner and maybe a little with me too. But we do when we try because we have the feeling that it can work. With these conditions this afternoon, there were two options, either you don't try, or you force yourself a little to make it work and at the same time you risk falling. I think it's also because the drivers want a little more. »
Francesco Bagnaia complained about the size of the stones in the gravel traps. What about you?
« After I fell, I was too angry to think about gravel. I think the gravel bed is pretty good here. It was painful in Indonesia and a long time ago in Qatar. There, I would say that it is normal. I was just angry about this situation. »
Have you decided which tires you would use if the race took place in the wet?
« At the back, tighten it. At the front, the medium and soft work well and I was surprised that the medium could work in the afternoon, but the big difference with the Indonesia is mainly at the rear. »
What about visibility here in the rain?
« If you follow someone, you get water on your helmet, and that's why during the tests I tried not to follow anyone to keep a clear vision and maintain the feeling. The vision is not bad. In Indonesia, it was huge rain with a lot of water on the track, and that's why we had a vision problem: there was a lot of water on the track! But even with so much water on the track, there was grip. Here, if we had the same quantity as in Indonesia, we wouldn't even be able to drive. This is why it is more of a quantity of water, but as there was no problem with grip everyone was able to ride. Before we have vision problems, we will have grip problems.
»
Is this circuit dangerous in the event of a fall with its blind turns?
« This is the risk with this type of circuit but we cannot overlook this type of circuit because it is really good from a technical point of view, from a driving point of view and for the spectators. It's more the pilot's job so that if he falls, they can move to get out quickly. No, I won't complain about that. »
And in case of flag to flag race?
« When you enter the pit lane and you turn sharply to go to your mechanics, then there are these big black stripes. If we have to swap bikes on Sunday and it rains, it should be spectacular. »
The latest in a long list of riders to be caught out today! 👀@JohannZarco1 slips off through Turn 2 💥#PortugueseGP 🇵🇹 pic.twitter.com/wfaFpiLxSv
- MotoGP @ 🏁 (@MotoGP) April 22, 2022
FP1/FP2 results of the MotoGP Portuguese Grand Prix at the Algarve International Autodrome in Portimão:
Classification credit: MotoGP.com
