Like every evening of the current week, Canal+ highlights motor sports, F1 and MotoGP, in its daily show “ On pole » hosted by Margot Laffite at 20:05 p.m. on Canal+ Sport.
Monday, Esteban Ocon et Frederic Vasseur (Alfa Romeo team director) were the guests representing Formula 1 while Johann zarco spoke from Qatar to talk MotoGP.
Between pre-season testing and the Qatar Grand Prix, the Pramac driver appeared relaxed and seemed to enjoy this period of forced rest.
John Zarco: “It’s going great!” The weather is nice and I'm tanned. »
Of course, the Frenchman was congratulated for the speed record he now holds in MotoGP...
When @OconEsteban learns that @JohannZarco1 broke the absolute speed record in MotoGP with 𝟑𝟓𝟕,𝟔𝐤𝐦/𝐡 🔥
▶️ Their meeting in the replay of En Pole: https://t.co/8lniBVL44k pic.twitter.com/RgH88hPLXQ
- CANAL + MotoGP ™ (@CanalplusMotoGP) March 23, 2021
“Yes, 357,6. Soon the 360 mark! That's almost 100 meters per second: that's not nothing! Well, there are six Ducatis that are capable of it but I'm really happy to have been the first Ducati because it always creates a nice little buzz. And even for the opponents, casually they say to themselves “him, if he is at the end of the race, he can pass us” (laughs). »
The confidence is therefore there, and that bodes well for this weekend…
“Clearly, as soon as I was able to get on the bike, I was pretty ready, because I was performing well from the start. Jack (Miller) too, we expect him to perform well. He is an official pilot but I see clearly with all the analysis that he really is not missing much to achieve his speed, and rather even his confidence, because it is almost still a lack of confidence in certain driving phases. . So it's almost easy to explain but it's hard to get, but as it's been happening since last year, I saw that I immediately attacked at a better level, and that's good augurs well because Ducati has superb equipment. I'm extremely well stocked and even within the team, it gives me that feeling that I had with Tech3 when I arrived in MotoGP. Well, it's with Italians but as I speak fluently and can even think in Italian, it's a pleasure to work with them. »
Planets therefore seem to be aligning for the French pilot…
“Inch’allah as they say in Qatar!” Already, a year on the Ducati to learn it well, and on the sporting and career side, everything is coming together well. It helps you have a good winter and prepare yourself even better and perform better. So when the sporting side and training go better at home, and the head clears up, it pays off immediately on the bike. »
With six riders in the race, Ducati will have to manage its troops...
“I think the teams in MotoGP do not work like the teams in Formula 1. There had already been stories: “should the teammate have helped the one who is favorite? ". It even happened at Ducati a couple of years ago. Everyone still starts almost on an equal footing, especially the riders who can perform well, and at Ducati we have three with experience and there are three new ones. But that does not exclude that these three new ones can perform extremely well, since in these three, there is still the Moto2 world champion and the vice Moto2 world champion.
For my part, with Jorge Martin, who had a somewhat up and down season last year because he had Covid and missed races, we feel that he is very gifted, very young . He's already made mistakes but he's learning from that, and speed if he can get it quickly and he already had a good time on our last day of testing. There is a good understanding and we share the same small prefab to change. There is really good understanding even if we don't discuss too much technical, since in my opinion he already has enough information with his technicians to be able to learn. »
The French pilot therefore appeared with a certain serenity and, still on the Canal+ antenna, Randy de Puniet did not hesitate to reissue the prediction he made to us, to see Johann Zarco on the podium in Qatar…
