MotoGP Qatar 1 J3: Zarco (Ducati/2) says thank you to the engine and learned a lot by following Viñales

Johann Zarco practically gave himself an ideal start to the championship with this Qatar Grand Prix at Losail. Perfection would have been a victory, but getting on the second step of the podium with your Ducati, marking yourself as the best representative of the brand, is already impressive. In a week, he will do it again in the same place with a little extra experience that he will put to good use...

Johann zarco could not deny the obvious when taking stock of his Qatar Grand Prix : " I am very happy. This is my first podium here in Qatar, all classes combined. I'm so happy and I want to enjoy it now ", said John Zarco Sunday evening in Doha.

Saturday, zarco had already broken the top speed record in the MotoGP category with 362,4 km/h, and on Sunday he finished second in the first race with the Pramac Racing Team. “ It was a very good weekend, for sure “, said the two-time Moto2 world champion happily. “ It was good to have a good start and gain three entry places ».

Because thanks to Ducati power, zarco went from 7th place on the grid to 3rd place. “ Pecco felt good, and so did I, and that's why I took the opportunity and passed Jack Miller to stay behind Pecco », continued the Frenchman. “ I had to stay pretty focused, but I think it was a key moment in the race to stay behind him, be fast and at the same time save the tires, until the arrival of Viñales ».

Zarco: “thanks to consistency, Viñales was able to win”

Un Casa Particular in Viñales who impressed: “ he has the rhythm. I tried to follow it and it was interesting ", said zarco, which also surpassed the factory motorcycle Ducati de bagnaia. " I was running second for a lot of laps, with a bit of a gap, but I think I also used my tires a lot and then had problems with spinning. In the last two laps, I gave my best to keep Joan Mir behind me. He overtook me, but thanks to the engine, I secured second place. Thanks to the acceleration I was able to get on the podium ».

He finishes : " with the Ducati we have a huge advantage on the straights. Viñales was able to climb several meters at the exit of the turn. It was a little too late by the time the performance came together for us. The more rounds there were, the bigger the difference became. He did a great job because he was pretty consistent. He also told me that he had to fight Fabio first. So it was a difficult race for him, but thanks to consistency, he was able to win ". A regularity which, let us remember, he has decided to make his credo this season.

MotoGP Qatar 1 J3: ranking

Credit rankings: MotoGP.com