MotoGP Portugal J2, Debriefing Johann Zarco (Ducati/3): “It would be good to lead the race for a while”, etc. (Entirety)

On this Saturday, April 17, 2021, Johann zarco answered questions from journalists from the Portimão circuit at the end of the second day of the Portuguese Grand Prix.

We went to listen (via teleconferencing software) to the words of the French driver during the post-qualifying press conference which brought together fabio quartararo, Alex Rins, Johann Zarco, Sam Lowes and Andrea Migno.

As usual, we report here the words of Johann zarco without the slightest formatting, even if the first answers are translated from English (vouvoiement).

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Johann, you had a good pace in FP3 this morning, a good pace in FP4 too, but at one point qualifying seemed like a disaster because of your crash, but you did a fantastic job and you must be very happy to be on the front line?

Johann zarco : " Yes ! It was good to be on the front line because after the little fall I was under stress and worried. Then in the box, I was able to breathe and regain my composure to try to attack with the second bike. And it worked very well. So I'm happy with that. We made good progress from Friday to Saturday and I was even surprised to feel good and immediately get good times with the racing tire. So we will see tomorrow, because Fabio is enjoying a lot and is very fast, but there are also a lot of guys, as we are used to. Being on the front row with the Ducati I think I can make a good start and it would be good to lead the race for a while before seeing the situation so I can play my game well. »

Are there places on the circuit where you can still improve a little?

« I think that compared to the Yamahas, the second sector can be difficult for us in the race, the Ducatis. In the last sector, Fabio is very strong but maybe if I am, I think I can stay with him before having a little advantage in a straight line to be able to stay with him. That's the plan for now, but we'll see about that tomorrow (smile). »

We saw quite a few falls during these two days. Is this the result of chance or because of the state of the circuit?

« I think more or less the same thing (as Fabio Quartararo and Álex Rins). For me, it's true that there are bumps on the track and maybe in a few years we will need new asphalt in certain places like in the last bend to have a little more stability. But with more stability we will try to go even faster, but I think that could help. The crashes we saw this weekend are more due to everyone being faster than in November, because we know the circuit better and the bikes work very well there. Martin's fall for FP3 was more due to the fact that he was surprised with the new tire. We know we have to go fast, but when we go out with a new tire on this circuit, there are always a few little warnings that you have to wait the whole launch lap or be careful not to be surprised and then just attack . But I think with less experience Jorge thought he was ready because it was his last run to set a good time, and he was surprised at turn seven. For me, the track is rather good because it is very wide and when we make a mistake we have the possibility of correcting it. I think the asphalt provides a good level of grip because we have quite hard tires and they hold well. But we can be surprised or make mistakes, and that's why we had some concerns with some drivers today, but there's not much reason to complain or say it's dangerous. I think that's the wrong word to use for Portimão. »

We saw a big fall today and the footage was looped while you were in the boxes. Is this a good thing?

« I think when they go through a crash, it's not a pretty sight but it means the rider is more or less OK, because what I remember is that when there's a bigger problem regarding the pilot, they generally do not show the fall. So for me, when they show the fall, that means to me that the pilot is above all conscious. And he was moving in the gravel, so there was no paralysis. Of course there might be bills and other things because the fall was horrible and it's not a good sight. Should they show this or not? Usually when they show it, it's not a hugely dramatic situation. It's not pretty to look at but it's not too serious. »

In the 90s, there were regularly French riders in the lead in 250cc and 350cc, but it's new to have two French riders in front in the premier category. Will this become a habit and do you plan to continue it all year long?

« Getting used to the post-qualifying press conference is easier said than done (smile) but it would be nice to share these moments throughout the season. In the 70s and 80s there were a lot of French pilots but it was a different story and a different adventure. Fabio got to this level by taking a different route, the Spanish school, and I used the Italian school more but I also had ups and downs. This is why now, with two good drivers at the best level, the French federation would like to build this (a French school). But we see that in Spain and Italy they are doing good things but they also still have strong partners around them to help build this championship. We hope we can find that because we are men, like the Spanish and the Italians. We let's show that it's possible and we just have to hope that we can facilitate access to this level. »

Last year here, you gave us a great start to the race but the end was more difficult. Do you think you'll keep a better pace this year?

« In last year's race I used a different tire than the one I will have tomorrow. It was a little softer on the left side, and I had a good race before completely destroying the left side in the last five laps, and I couldn't maintain my position. This year, simply thanks to the tire, I can maintain a better pace, then thanks to the bike and the fact that I feel good, I can hope for even better. Last year it was really because of the tire. If I had the exact same tire as last year, I wouldn't take it. But we don't have it. So it was the tire, but anyway I'm more ready now. »

Ranking for qualifying 2 of the Portuguese Grand Prix in Portimão: 

Ranking for qualifying 1 of the Portuguese Grand Prix in Portimão: 

Credit rankings and photo: MotoGP.com