After those of Sepang and Buriram, during these tests in Losail we are resuming our habit of referring to you in full the words of Johann Zarco, in a raw way, therefore without any journalistic formatting or distortion.
Alongside the sometimes slightly formatted communication of traditional press releases, the exchanges between the French rider and the journalists in the hospitality of the Monster Yamaha Tech3 team are of a richness and simplicity that true enthusiasts will appreciate (you can find all his past debriefings in our section “Interviews").
There is always the little detail that immerses us more every day in the world of MotoGP…
John Zarco : " It was a good first day. I'm competitive and it's great for confidence. I waited before hitting the trail because we know that here, with the sun, it's quite slippery, and it was actually slippery when I started my day at 16 p.m. We struggled a bit at that point because we may have also gone in the wrong direction to set up the bike, but we figured it out quickly, and when we got back to the right settings with the right tires, I I was able to do some good laps. So that's good. Compared to the last two tracks where we trained, here the rear tire deteriorates very quickly. So it makes the job very different and arguably more difficult, because you feel like you can be fast for two laps and then you completely lose the feeling on the remaining laps until the end. So I think it's a good job that we have to do. I'm happy that the pace is good and the confidence is high, and tomorrow we will have to work to find that better control on the rear tire. »
When the rear tire deteriorates, do you immediately have to change your riding style?
“You have to do this almost all the time, but here, more than on other circuits. That's what makes it complicated, quickly adapting your riding style, and wondering if you can adapt yourself or if you need to change the bike. There is always this compromise which is not easy to find. »
What aerodynamics did you use here?
“I used exactly the same one as in Thailand and the top speed is good. It's even better, so we like these kinds of fins because I think it provides stability, and that's the main point. »
Will the new timetables make things more difficult for Moto2 and Moto3, with higher track temperatures?
“It's possible, yes, because like I said, here you have to adapt your driving style more and you collect more information. Maybe not every lap, but every four laps the feeling changes. So for the Rookies, it will be difficult to know if they are going in the right or wrong direction. »
Have you changed the settings of your motorcycle a lot?
" I don't know. I give my feeling and I see that the team is modifying the bike, but I don't know if there is a big difference with the ones used in Thailand. »
A question about the future of the team. Everyone knows…
“I’m not talking about that now. I'm talking about today, and my work is about today, not next year. »
